


Mutiny

by TheFangedGoblin



Category: X-Men: First Class (2011) - Fandom
Genre: Alternate Universe - Pirate, Bottom Charles, Charles Xavier has a Ph.D in Adorable, Erik is Crushing Harder than a 12-year Old Girl, M/M, Rating: NC17
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2012-05-11
Updated: 2012-09-13
Packaged: 2017-11-05 04:23:50
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 29,385
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/402399
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheFangedGoblin/pseuds/TheFangedGoblin
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The year is 1791, and mutants are still largely unknown to the world. Erik Lensherr, known infamously as Captain Magneto, leads a crew of lost and angry mutant pirates after claiming the ship from his predecessor, Captain Shaw. When he learns that the Governor’s son, Charles Xavier, is a telepathic mutant, he sets sail to raid his English town and capture him. However, Charles starts to become much more than just a prisoner to Erik.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

“You have to be kidding me!” Mystique yelled as she flung open the door to her Captain’s chambers. She was the only mutant on the ship that Erik allowed to get away with such behavior. He figured that since she was his first mate, she should be allowed some leeway.

“You should be congratulating me on a successful raid,” he smirked as he leaned back in his chair.

“Emma told you the Governor’s son was a telepath. I assumed you would heed that warning and stay away… not kidnap him!” she yelled, her natural blue form turning slightly red with anger.

“It was an opportunity and I seized it,” Erik responded as nonchalantly as possible, but Mystique, who had worked for him since he took over the ship from Captain Shaw, knew something else was going on.

“Erik, you hate telepaths. You barely tolerate Emma on this ship and you grew up with her,” Mystique pointed out. It was true, after all. Years ago, when Shaw first began ‘recruiting’ for his ship, Erik and Emma had been the first two mutants that he kidnapped from their homes as children. Consequently, Emma was the reason Erik was able to keep telepaths out of his own head.

Erik’s own recruiting methods were vastly different from Shaw’s, except in this case. In all honesty, he didn’t know why he had risked kidnapping the young Charles Xavier. He could have easily picked another target.

“His father will pay a hefty ransom to get him back. It will be worth it. You will see. Now go check on our guest… and do not let Sabertooth anywhere near him,” Erik ordered. The mutant Sabretooth was The Mutiny’s newest recruit, but he still did not understand that while the crew may pillage to their heart’s content, rape was not allowed under the orders of the captain. 

Mystique hesitated, but when it earned no further response from him, she finally stormed off below deck to do as he asked.

***

"Stay back, keep back!" Charles shouted when the blue mutant huffed through the door. Immediately after being forced onto the ship, bound and blindfolded and taken from his own home in the middle of the night, he had been thrown into what had to be the captain’s bedchambers. He had expected to be thrown into a dungeon, walk a plank, or meet another horrid fate of that same nature. All the horror stories of the ruthless pirates of the sea had come back to him in that moment. All the fantastical fairy tales of his childhood books became real again, but this time, it was not an exciting adventure. There would be no heros to save him from this. When Charles opened his wet eyes after the blindfold was removed, he opened them to luxury. It was not only the room where the mutant captain slept, but it was where he secured his most prized stolen riches. He wondered if he was now one of them. It smelled of wine and rich food and dangerous adventures.

"Listen, my father will pay three times the ransom you ask, I swear it! Just let me get off this blasted bloody ship!" he shouted, leaving out the fact that his father, the Governor, was probably ecstatic to get rid of his telepathic son that he never wished to have in the first place.

He wondered if he could sneak past her. He wondered how far away from shore they were already. How much time had passed? Could he swim back? Had they murdered any of his family, servants, and friends?

"Don't even think of escaping, Xavier, this isn't a normal ship," a well dressed, blonde woman announced as she came through the door, plucking the thought right out of his head. Another telepath. Outstanding. Charles had never met another of his particular mutant strain, and he was both intrigued and terrified.

"If you behave, you will have nothing to fear from us," the blue mutant said.

"I behave for no one. Do you know who I am? You must let me off this ship immediately!" he took a brave step forward despite his fear.

Before the other mutants could respond, all the metal surrounding them seemed to vibrate as the captain stepped loudly into the bedroom. Emma took that as her cue to leave and slipped past him out the door. "You're not going anywhere," he told Charles simply when he tried to follow her. With one outstretched hand, he forced Charles' body to sit in the nearest chair using control over whatever metal the boy had on him. His rings.

Charles' ears sang from the metal crying out around and on him. But he didn't struggle. He didn't want to give him that satisfaction. "Are you trying to impress me, sir?" he sneered like the brat he knew he sometimes could be. "You will have to do better. You have no idea what I am capable of."

"I know that you’re a young telepath. Why do you think I kidnapped you? For your good looks?" Erik responded arrogantly.

Charles was taken by surprise and felt his cheeks heat up. He tried to will away the embarrassment quickly. "You know, I have heard of you and your little ship, Mr. Magneto," he hissed his name like a curse. "The people of my town all claim you and your crew are magic. But as a mutant myself, I have known all along what you really are. You should all be ashamed of yourselves, representing us the vicious way that you are..." he growled, as if he had previously thought through exactly what to say to this young pirate, murderer, and thief.

"That is Captain Magneto to you," Eric leaned down to growl into Charles' face. "I think you need some time to realize just exactly how precarious your situation is."

With that, he turned around to leave before he lost his temper and lashed out.

Charles shrugged fiercely against the invisible bonds holding him down until he felt them finally release. He shot back up immediately and glared at the pirate’s back as he was walking away. "What do you want with me?" he cried out, feeling the unsteady sway of the ship taking him further and further away from home and feeling his panic rise and rise. He didn't really expect to hear the truth from the captain’s foul mouth, so he brought his shaking fingers to his temple and furrowed his brows in concentration as he listened. He was met only with silence.

Erik felt Charles’ intrusion into his mind and lost control. Physically slamming him against the wall, he leaned into him hard and pushed an arm against the smaller man's neck who froze with fear. "Stay out of my head," he warned.

Charles gasped for breath and tears stung his eyes as his own hands clawed at Erik's to free himself. Panicked, he thought out loud, perhaps too loudly, that if he were going to die, he hoped it would be quick. Erik gained his control back just as quickly as he lost it and stepped away from Charles, leaving him trembling. "You will find I am not the worse mutant on this ship, so behave yourself."

"I don't answer to you," Charles snapped, his voice strained and hoarse as he rubbed his sore throat. "I demand you tell me what you want from me!" He tried not to sound as nervous as he felt. Was he planning on raping him? He didn't have to be a mind reader to sense his attraction to him. He saw it flash in his eyes the first moment they landed on his. A wolf eyeing a sheep.

"I don't know!" Erik shouted. The sudden frustration in the pirate's ragged voice startled Charles. "Just… just stay in here and you will be safe."

Charles rushed in front of him, blocking his path bravely, though he could smell his own fear under the taller man's intimidation. "Safe?" he demanded, because he sure as hell did not feel safe as a prisoner inside one of the most wanted and notorious pirate captain’s bedchambers. "Do you plan on starving me, then?"

Erik could not believe this. Here he was, a prisoner and already trying to make demands. "I will feed you."

Charles made a face at the thought of the future meals he would eat on this ship. He would eat crap while this man would feast on the fine meals. "Oh, so you wish for me to be your little pet? Over my dead body, Mr. Magneto," he hissed, using that name just to piss him off. "I am not that sort of boy."

"It's Captain to you, and I never said you would be my pet!" Erik yelled, and Charles jumped when the pirate's voice boomed through the room.

For a moment, Charles was blessedly silent. He didn't know what else to say. "I need to go home," he whispered, suddenly unable to look into the pirate's blue-grey eyes anymore.

"You cannot. Ever again," Erik told him sternly. "It was never really your home. You belong here even if you do not realize it yet."

Charles tried to hold back tears of frustration and fear. He had no right to make this decision for him. "Why? Because I am a mutant like you? And because I am a mutant, I must also steal and kill? I have news for you! There are thousands more of us in this world, coexisting alongside humans. We are capable of living the same lives!"

Erik rolled his eyes at Charles' pacifist dreams. "If you believe that, then you are more naive than I thought," he replied. This time when he turned around, he left the room and used his powers to slam the door and lock it. He needed time away from his prisoner to figure out just what he was going to do with him.

Charles had run after him, but it was too late. He banged his fists on the wooden door to the point of pain, but it was no use. He tired to reach someone with his mind, anyone, but it was as if the rest of the ship was a world away. With tears fresh in his eyes, he turned back to view his fancy prison and growled in frustration.

That was when he saw the liquor.

***

A few hours later, Erik was beginning to see the hastiness in his decision to abduct Charles. Mystique and Emma had teamed up on him as soon as he left his prisoner and asked him repeatedly why he hadn't sent a ransom note yet. Erik didn't have answers for them because he didn't really understand why himself. All he knew was that he was determined to talk Charles into joining them. The boy was interesting, even with his posh mannerisms and immature attitude.

Later that evening, he found Sabretooth sniffing around his bedroom door. Erik growled and used his power to send the other mutant hastily on his way. He didn't just let himself in this time, wanting to start over on the right foot. He knocked before he undid the locks.

Charles was drunk by the time Erik came into the room. "Well, aren't you a gentleman," he snickered sarcastically. His body went tense and rigid at the sight of the captain, though he did feel an odd sense of relief to find that it was him instead of the strange mutant smelling him from beyond the door. "Hope you don't mind, I helped myself to a drink," he added unapologetically, though it was clear to both of them that he had plenty more than just one drink.

At first, Erik could only stare god-smacked at the boy. "Are you actually drunk?"

Charles was a little taken back by the question. "You left me here in this room to await my death. Of course I got drunk," he explained. Besides, he was on a pirate ship. Of course he was going to break into the liquor. He had nothing to lose anymore, right?

"If I wanted you dead, I would have already done it by now," Erik pointed out before he snatched the bottle from Charles’ hand. He tried not to look too closely at his neck or the bruises he left there. Guilt was not something he felt often, but it hit him now like a ton of bricks. "I should not have scared you earlier, but I was just trying to get you to see how serious a situation you were in."

"I think it's pretty clear that I am in a very serious situation!" he insisted, almost tripping over a chair in the process.

Erik smirked while Charles stumbled. "And so your genius idea is to get drunk while in captivity?"

Charles stood upright right away to make up for his clumsy stumble. "I can do nothing to save myself now," he pointed out with a shrug. "Might as well enjoy a drink." He supposed that it was his small attempt at defiance.

"I think you underestimate yourself," Erik told him before he realized he probably should not be encouraging his prisoner to try and escape.

Charles glared at the captain. "I know the extent of my powers. I just don't choose to use them for manipulation," he said snidely.

Erik remembered Emma telling him that not even she could not tell just how powerful Charles was. The boy simply had no idea. Not yet. "Even to save your own life?" he questioned.

Charles looked away. "No," he answered with fake confidence, though he had never been in a situation where that had been tested. Until now. "It does not make a good example."

"Sit down before you fall down," Erik commanded, pushing Charles down onto the nearest surface which just happened to be the bed.

Charles fell limply onto the blankets, but as soon as he realized where he was, he panicked and stood again. He half expected Erik to jump him right then and there. "If you think that this is where I will spend my nights before I am rescued, you are sorely mistaken," he growled.

"Would you rather spend it in the brig?" Erik asked him with a raised eyebrow. "You can have the bed to yourself."

The surprise showed on Charles' face then. "If I am your prisoner, why would I sleep in the most luxurious part of the ship?" he questioned with distrust.

Why indeed? Erik thought to himself. "It is safer for you here," was the easiest answer.

"Safe?" Charles scoffed. "I am a prisoner. Why would you wish for me to be safe?" he argued. Clenching his fists in frustration, he heard the vague traces of Erik's distorted, chaotic thoughts for the first time and he stopped to stare. "You want me. On this ship. You really, truly believe that I am going to join you as one of you."

Erik's jaw clenched when Charles spoke. "It had been my original plan, yes. We have a telepath already, but she does not like staying on the ship for long periods of time."

"You are insane. None of us belong here. Please bring me to land," Charles asked again softly.

"Don't you want to get to know your own kind? This might be the only chance you have to meet so many mutants at once," Erik tried to convince.

"That is not true, there are far more of us than you realize..." Charles insisted, frustrated when the watery eyes had no apparent effect on the pirate. "Give this back to me," he growled as he lunged for the wine bottle that had been taken away.

"Yes, but not in one place," Erik pointed out again as he childishly held the bottle up over his head so there was no way the shorter man could reach it.

Charles hopped up and down before he had to stop to prevent himself from falling over again. He glared venomously at the taller man and punched his chest hard, shocking him enough to be able to reclaim the bottle.

"Fuck! What the hell!?" Erik shouted, dropping the bottle into Charles' greedy hands. While Erik was knelled over and clenching his aching stomach, Charles saw a desperate opportunity for escape. It did not pass through his drunken mind that on a ship, far from shore, it would be impossible. He threw Erik aside and ran past him. He kept running until he reached the deck.

Erik let Charles go, knowing he wouldn't get far.

Victor Creed, also known as Sabretooth, growled when he picked up the scent of the newcomer he had been stalking earlier. He watched from the evening shadows as his prey stumbled around, lost and confused, searching for land in a vast desert of water. Charles coughed on the sea air and closed his eyes against the misty rain. He waited a moment longer before he finally pounced, pushing Charles face first into the wet floor board of the ship. "Hello, pretty boy," he growled in his victim’s ear.

Charles was no stranger to being tackled and beat down. His stepbrother had given him plenty of lessons in self defense that were equally aggressive, and one peek into his attacker's mind told him that he was not very different than his corrupt brother. It sent him into a state of panic, and using the element of surprise, he kicked the stronger mutant below the belt, screaming as he did so. Due to Sabretooth’s rapid healing, the mutant only became angrier. He growled as he grabbed Charles again, this time using his claws to pin the smaller man down. "I was going to be easy on you... now you have pissed me off," he snarled as his claws dug into his hips and tore at his clothes.

When Charles felt his expensive silk shirt and trousers rip, he felt the heavy body flung from him, and suddenly, he was exposed in a different way. It was a moment later that he opened his eyes and realized the captain had been the one to hurl him violently across the ship. He hid his face in his hands and braced himself for the same fate.

"Get off of him," Charles heard Erik demand. Sabretooth scurried away, and immediately, Erik dropped to his knees in front of Charles to look him over with his eyes. Charles knew he was looking for injury. "You should get back to the room before anything else goes wrong," he warned.

Charles, still shell-shocked, lifted his head but remained frozen in place. Erik sighed and reached down to lift the boy up bridal-style into his broad arms. He hoped that he was drunk enough to not fight him. Luckily, it caught Charles so off guard that he was only pliant and limp against him. He barely heard the laughter and whistles coming from the crowd gathered around him in the dark.

Erik ignored the snickers. He used his powers to open and close the door behind them and laid Charles on the bed. "You need to sleep this off," he told him.

It wasn’t until Charles felt his back on the bed that he startled and sat up abruptly. His head spun from the change in position and his terrifying encounter with the mutant outside. Unable to hold it back, his blue eyes welled up with tears. "I feel ill, please... take me home..."

"You feel ill because you drank too much," Erik said, ignoring his request.

Charles angrily wiped his tears away. "If you are going to rape me, I would rather you do it now and get it over with..." he rambled. Perhaps if he was this drunk, he could pretend it wasn't happening.

Erik was speechless for a moment. "I would… I would never do that to."

Charles looked up at Erik shyly. It was not an easy thing for a telepath to feel, this shyness. He brought his knees up to his chest and hugged them tight against him. "That’s not what people say," he whispered. "Why did you save me just now?"

"We steal from those who can afford it, but we don't rape," Erik promised. "That's not something I tolerate on my crew and Sabretooth will be punished."

Charles scoffed at that. "So you steal and murder, but raping is not allowed. I am glad you have some morals," he said sarcastically.

"Sometimes, some morals are all you need," Erik smirked.

Charles glared at the pirate. "But you still want to sleep with me," he told him frankly. "If I let you, will you take me to land and release me?" he asked, his voice void of emotion.

Erik frowned at that. "You would offer yourself for your freedom?"

Charles looked down at his feet. "If you promised me my freedom... yes," he told him quietly. He had never been with another man before, but he would do anything to get back home.

For one moment, Erik actually considered it. "It would still be rape. And if I let you go, then kidnapping you would have been pointless."

Charles laughed softly to himself, sensing his captor's hesitation to say no. "Kidnapping me is pointless, Pirate," he told him, his words slurring from his intoxication and exhaustion. He had never been this far away from home before, so far away from his family and his mansion. He had always wanted to travel and explore the world, but had never gone farther than his books. He certainty did not have this in mind. "You cannot keep me forever. As soon as we reach land, I will leave."

"You would not get very far," Erik told him as he reached into a drawer beside the bed and pulled out a delicate strand of metal. Before Charles could know what he was doing, he used his powers to manipulate it around his prisoner’s neck, melding the clasp together so it couldn't be opened or broken. Charles gasped when he first felt the cold metal around his neck, expecting to be strangled.

"What... what is this?" he demanded as he fought to break the necklace, sitting up in the bed and wrestling with himself.

Erik took Charles' hands before he could hurt himself. "This way, I will be able to find you. Wherever you go."

Charles tried to fight against him, though they both knew who was weaker physically. His motions were clumsy and slow from the alcohol. "I will find a way to remove it," he snarled. "I am not a pet to be collared. I am not a slave!"

"I captured you. That makes you mine," Erik explained. He pushed Charles down on the bed. "The sooner you understand that, the better off you will be."

Memories of his step brother manhandling him and beating him sobered Charles up as he froze and surrendered underneath the pirate as if purely on instinct. His eyes widened with fear and a little bit of something else as he braced himself. The pirate was beautiful, especially so when anger possessed him. Now that he finally got the telepath's submission, Erik let go of him and stepped away from the bed. "You are not to leave this room. You are to stay here."

When he was free, Charles immediately sat up again. "You don't understand. I could have defended myself. I am stronger than you realize. He just... he caught me off guard. I am not sleeping in your sinuous bed with you," he snarled, though Erik did not look like he had that in mind.

"I will sleep on the couch. Your virtue is safe for now," Erik said sarcastically.

Charles gave him a suspicious look. "You... you really are sleeping on the sofa?" he asked. "You aren't anything like you seem. It... it does not have to be this way, you know," he told him, but Erik laid down on the sofa with his back to Charles and did not respond.

"What is your name? Your real name?" Charles asked hesitantly.

"That is none of your business," Erik snapped.

"You do not tell your real name to anyone? You are just Magneto? That is a fairy tale name," he accused the pirate as if he were trying to provoke him again. "I refuse to call you Magneto."

Erik rolled his eyes as he tried to get comfortable. "My name is Erik, but don't you dare call me that."

Charles hinted at a smile then. "Erik. How charming," he mocked him from his comfortable place on the bed.

"Do you always ask so many annoying questions?" Eric growled.

"You leave me with so many, Erik," Charles responded, that name purposefully. "How do I know you will not attack me in my sleep? You expect me to rest? And more importantly... why can I not clearly see into your mind?"

"I know how to keep telepaths out. I have had a lot of practice," Erik explained. His accent was strange, unlike something Charles had ever heard except perhaps in the stories he read of far away lands. English was not this man's first language. "You have had enough to drink. I am hoping you will just pass out."

Charles huffed at that, glaring at Erik's back before finally laying down on the bed. He stared up at the ceiling, fidgeting with the blankets around him, restless and unable to sleep. His mind was racing, and although Erik's mind was vacant to him, he could now hear the thoughts of the others on the ship. He clenched his eyes closed and tried to shut them out.

"I can hear your brain working all the way over here,” Erik mumbled a moment later.

"I cannot help that," Charles hissed in a whisper, tossing onto his side in the bed.

"Would you like more to drink?" Erik snickered.

"I thought you told me I was too drunk," he argued through a stubborn mumble as he continued to toss and turn on the mattress. His clothes, which were still torn, were uncomfortable on his skin.

It was not until an hour later that his body finally surrendered to exhaustion. 


	2. Chapter 2

Erik woke early the next morning and turned his focusing eyes on his captive in his bed. Charles was still sound asleep on his back, his red mouth slightly parted, his expression relaxed and innocent. With his hair and clothes tussled, he looked beautiful. Despite how peaceful he looked now, Erik knew that the second he woke he would groan with an awful hangover. He locked the bedroom door as he left to make his way up to the deck of the ship.

Emma was there to greet him with a mug of hot Brazilian coffee. "How was your honeymoon last night?" she smirked, not waiting until Erik took the first sip to ridicule him. She didn't like the idea of not being the only telepath on the ship. She didn’t like it at all. She knew the boy did not belong here. Her captain had placed the whole crew in jeopardy by bringing him aboard. "He's a pretty one."

"Yes, he is, and he's mine. Spread that rumor around the ship quickly," Erik muttered, looking out into the ocean. There was no land to be seen from here, and that was exactly how he liked it. Out here, he didn’t have to be a part of the rest of the world.

"It was that good, huh? He looked like a virgin to me," Emma ignored his request and teased him further.

"You are such a bitch, Emma. You know I would never force myself on anyone," Erik snapped. It was unheard of to have a woman on the ship, but he never paid much attention to human rules, even if Emma really did seem to bring them bad luck. Mutants were mutants. And Emma, being the venomous, slimy snake that she was, belonged no where else.

"So he agreed to the sex?" she giggled. She knew that nothing had happened last night but she wanted to push boundaries anyway. "Really, though... when are we getting rid of him? He is a huge mistake. A threat to our whole ship.”

"He would be a great asset if we can talk him into joining us," Erik told her.

"There's no way he will ever join us. He isn’t our kind, not really. And there is only room for one telepath on this ship. We cannot keep him. He can't be your pretty little pet," she argued, suddenly very serious.

Erik was quiet for a moment as if he were actually thinking about what Emma was saying. "I need more time. To convince him."

"Well, you don't have forever. He is dangerous. He is the spoiled brat son of a Governor, for heaven’s sake. You really took it too far this time," she sighed. If she had been anyone else on the ship, Erik would have thrown them overboard.

"I can handle him," Erik said, immediately dismissing the thought that Charles was dangerous.

"Maybe you can, Erik, but he can never be trusted. You really expect to convert the son of the Governor into a pirate?" she challenged. "Don't underestimate him, whatever you do. He is manipulative, every telepath is. If you let him into your head just once... he will be able to out smart you."

Erik thought about how Charles had offered his body up to him last night. The telepath had to have sensed Erik’s attraction to him. "We will see," was all he said.

"That is your answer to everything now, isn't it? What has gotten into you lately? We need a captain on this ship, Erik, or it will become a circus. The boy will only distract you with his big blue puppy dog eyes," Emma pointed out, informally using her captain’s real name as a sign of disrespect. She knew that ransom money was never really part of Erik's plan.

Erik was so angry that he didn't answer her. Instead, he left her there, knowing that if he kept listening, he would only grow angrier. He went down to the kitchen and came back to his private quarters with a tray loaded with food. He used his powers to open the door where he knew his sleeping captive was waiting.

Charles jumped awake when he did not hear the pirate approach the door before it swung open. He was so used to relying on his telepathic abilities that he hadn't known he was there and it alarmed him. Erik's mind was as silent as ever. Charles eyed the food suspiciously through sleep hazed eyes. "What is that?" he asked snobbishly.

"Food to help with the hangover you have to have," Erik told him, sitting the tray on a table beside the bed.

"Oh, you're trying to help me now?" Charles responded snidely. He eyed the food wearily, but he knew his hunger would win him over. He picked up the bread and nibbled the edge. "Thank you," he whispered, not meeting his eyes.

"Oh, so you do have manners," Erik said with a sarcastic smile.

"I went to the finest university in London, I will have you know. I just graduated before you kidnapped me. I had huge plans for a school," Charles growled with resentment. "I was going to open a school."

"School doesn't teach you manners," Erik said, just to egg him on.

Charles stared at Erik until he realized he was only trying to provoke him. "Now you are just playing with me," he mumbled as he nibbled more at his bread. "You are the first person who I cannot read telepathically. It disorients me. Confuses me," he admitted down to his food.

Erik grinned at him. "You are used to being the one in control and it makes you uncomfortable when you are not."

Charles looked up at him, surprised. "I do not need to explain myself to you," he told him defensively, suddenly feeling exposed and vulnerable. "I am uncomfortable because I am ill and away from home with a very strange pirate and his crew of animals," he insisted, though his heart was not in it anymore and there was no anger in his voice. Just sadness and hopelessness.

"You should get to know the people you speak so harshly about," Erik admonished.

Charles took that as a challenge. "Fine. Perhaps I should. Where did you get your education, Erik? I've never met an educated thief and murderer, but you speak and act as though you haven't spent your entire life on this ship," he raised his brows in question.

"Captain Shaw taught me many things before I gutted him and took his place," Erik admitted shamelessly.

Charles was surprised that Erik actually answered truthfully. He didn't really understand how to respond. He shifted in the bed and stared down at his fidgeting hands. He wondered about this Captain Shaw. "How long have you been... what you are?"

"How long have I been what? A mutant or a pirate?" Erik asked.

Charles rolled his eyes childishly. "A pirate, of course. Where were you born? Your accent is strange."

"I don't remember much. I was born in a small village in Germany where Shaw took Emma and I when we were very young. Shaw could sense other mutant’s powers, so he began to build this crew.”

Charles wondered why Erik was telling him this all so easily. Perhaps he was not the closed book he thought he was. "If you are telling me all this, then why do you still have your guard up? Why can't you let me into your mind?" he found himself asking.

Erik was silent for a moment, not knowing the answer. "What would you do if I let you in? Take me over like a puppet?" he asked harshly.

"No," Charles snapped, but stopped himself before he got angry. He sighed and changed his expression to a more peaceful one. "I don't do that. Emma must be very manipulative to give you such bad ideas about telepaths. Besides, there is no where for me to run. I would not be so stupid," he told him honestly, shifting closer. "Let me in," he asked again softly.

Erik eyed him warily. Maybe this was his chance to get the young mutant on their side. If he let down his guard, perhaps Charles would follow. "Fine," he decided abruptly, watching the surprise light up the boy’s face. He lowered his mental shields just enough to allow him to read his mind, but hopefully not enough to let him take control.

Charles was shocked at how easy it was after so much trouble. And for that reason, he was determined not to take advantage despite how he felt about the pirate. That was not what he did, ever. He sighed and scooted closer to him, placing two fingers on his temple and opening his own mind to let him in.

He felt Erik’s resistance to let his guard down, and at first, it was hard to read him. But once the fog cleared, he was immediately overwhelmed. Anger and resentment and guilt and pain were nested deep in Erik's heart. He saw the man who must be Shaw in his mind, stealing him away as a child and murdering his parents. He saw him suffer from years of abuse on the ship. He saw the world through his eyes: dangerous and terrifying. Yet, underneath it all, he saw his beautiful spirit. His mind was both a dark and beautiful place. He opened his eyes quickly and withdrew. "Oh," was all he could say.

Erik blinked as Charles broke the link between them. He almost missed the warmth of the telepath’s mind when it touched his. It was not icy like the touch of Emma’s mind. "Was it horrible?" he asked, because he automatically assumed it would be. It was his mind, after all.

Charles did not know what to say at first. "No... no," he whispered. "You've... just been through much trauma. I suppose I just was not expecting it,” he admitted, not looking him in the eyes even after being so intimately locked to him.

"Yes, well, haven't we all," Erik shrugged as he got up and moved away from him. Charles could feel those iron walls constructing themselves back up and around his mind like amour. "Get up and get ready. I am taking you on deck to meet the crew."

"What? But… they tried to kill me," he protested, immediately defensive. "And I have no clothes..." he looked down at himself in shame.

"One insane rapist tried to kill you, but he's only one. There are other mutants you can meet," Eric waved his hand dismissively as he walked to his wardrobe and found Charles a set of clothes that would be more appropriate than the ones he had on.

Charles wondered what Erik's plan was as he slowly stood and studied the outfit he was holding up. The jacket was a dark midnight blue with lace trimmings. It was an expensive piece, and obviously stolen. But despite Charles’ posh background, he never used to wear such things. He preferred to blend in with earth tones and clothes designed for comfort. "It will not fit me. I'd rather wear my torn clothes. They remind me of home," he told him sadly. "Besides, I am your prisoner, why would you dress me up?"

"I'm not dressing you up, I'm dressing you down. And clothes that are too large are better than ripped ones… or would you rather I take you out there naked?" he threatened, knowing that would surly ruffle the boy’s feathers. He was tired of Charles' whining.

"Don't you dare." The telepath stood up and grabbed the clothes offered to him. "You cannot watch me dress."

Erik leered at him but did turn around to give Charles privacy. "You don't have anything I haven't seen before."

Charles felt his face redden. He still felt exposed to the captain despite his turned back. He tried to dress as quickly as possible, especially when he changed his ripped trousers for new ones. They were large on him and pooled at his ankles. They smelled of Erik; all dark masculinity, aged wine, and the salt of the ocean. "Oh, so you prefer the company of men to women? How avant garde," he sneered, meaning to offend.

"Actually I prefer the company of no one. Especially rich little brats," Erik shot back at him just as snidely.

Charles finished dressing quickly just as Erik turned around. "Really?" he challenged. "That is not what your mind says. You know, if only you had gone about this a different way... if you had come to me and introduced yourself like a proper gentlemen and offered me a position on this ship instead of kidnapping me and raiding my town, it would have ended better for both of us."

Erik rolled his eyes. "As if you would have had any interest in me whatsoever."

"You cannot say that. As another mutant, of course I would have interest in you. We could have had a very civil conversation, you and I," Charles told him, though he wasn't sure if what he was saying was true or not.

Erik snorted at the thought of meeting Charles under different circumstances and actually having a normal conversation. What would they have talked about? The weather? "You're a dreamer, pretty boy,” he mocked as he observed the boy in his new clothes. The blue brought out his eyes and made them look even brighter and wilder.

"It isn’t a bad thing," Charles insisted, wanting to go on further, but knowing that they would just end up going in circles. He did not notice the look Erik was giving him. "Now, would you like to introduce me to your murderous friends?" he proposed. He was interested to discover what was in the minds of the mutant crew, to learn their own unique gifts.

"If you behave yourself," Erik told him as he used his powers to unlock and open the door.

"I do not need to listen to you," Charles reminded him sternly as he sluggishly followed behind him, feeling out of place in his clothes. As he followed him out, he stayed close behind him.

Erik took Charles up on deck where he knew some of the youngest of his crew were. Sean, Alex, and Hank were supposed to be scrubbing the deck but it had somehow turned into a water fight. The warm weather always brought about some playfulness in them. Erik rolled his eyes. "Boys!" he announced, and the teenagers fell over themselves when they realized it was their captain addressing them. "This is Charles Xavier. I trust you will make him feel welcome."

Charles glanced out from behind Erik’s back at the young boys, and immediately, he dropped his defenses. They were just boys. Just children. They did not belong here. They belonged with their families. He analyzed each one of them, but he could not bring himself to look too deeply into their minds.

Sean was the first one to be friendly. After all, Hank was shy and Alex was constantly angry. "Hello, I'm Sean and this is Alex and Hank. Welcome aboard," he said with a smile. Charles took a step back, practically hiding behind Erik as the teenager approached. He wondered if he was glad to actually make Charles' acquaintance or if he was just as manipulative as his captain. But one sneak into his mind, just a graze along the surface, told him he was genuine. Poor lost boy, he thought to himself. "Charles Xavier," he mumbled finally, because his polite English manners always got the better of him. "But I am not staying on your ship. I am leaving the moment we hit land."

"We were just on land, so we probably won't be docking again for months. Plenty of time you to get to know everybody," Erik said with a smirk.

Charles was silent for a while as he took control of his frustration. Two can play at this game. Bravely, he took a deep breath and took a big step in front of Erik, meaning to get to know these lost boys better. "And what talents do you all possess?" he challenged, ignoring Erik completely.

"I can shatter glass with my voice," Sean told him excitably. "And Alex... well, we aren't really sure what is power is exactly, but he's not allowed to do it on the ship."

"Interesting. And why aren't all of you in school?" he asked, wondering about each of their backgrounds. "Were you kidnapped, too?"

The boys look startled at the questions. "Hank and I were kicked out of our houses because other people found out about our mutations. They were going to kill us… hang us for witchcraft. And then I heard of Captain Magneto's ship and sought him out during a raid. Alex was in jail awaiting death when Captain Magneto broke him out," Sean told him.

Charles sighed with sadness before speaking again. "Well, I lived a happy life as a mutant before your captain here kidnapped me in the middle of the night,” he said. But he was lying. His life was far from happy but he had just graduated and had big plans to change the world. Now, all of that was over. “Just because you are a mutant doesn't mean you must go to a life of crime," he told them, sensing Erik's anger rising behind him.

"It seemed a better option than getting hanged for witchcraft," Alex spoke up tersely. He always looked up to Erik and he wouldn't let the new guy talk back to his captain. Erik had saved him from a swift death on a noose.

"There are safe places for us. Not all parts of the world reject us as something we are not," Charles argued, but he had a feeling that he was getting no where. He sighed and rubbed his temples in exhaustion. "If only I could show you more of the world, you would see that."

"We've been all around the world, thanks to Captain Magneto," Alex argued. "Have you ever even been out of your home town?"

Charles was caught off guard by that. He opened his mouth, but nothing came out at first. "No... I've never been... out of England," he muttered. Now he knew he was never going to break through to these kids. "But it is…. was my home."

Eric growled and pulled Charles away from the boys, leading him back towards his quarters. "You didn't even try," he accused him.

"Try to do what?" Charles asked angrily. "And don't touch me. You don't have the right to touch me."

Erik pushed him hard up against the wall. "You were supposed to try to get to know them. Not treat them as if every decision they ever made was wrong."

Charles froze in fear when Erik displayed his superior strength and went lithe in his hands as if to surrender. "I was trying to get to know them," he argued, because that much was true. "I was just asking questions. Now let go of me!"

"You came at them with your stuck up attitude and you didn't try all," Erik accused again, not letting go of Charles. “You have no idea what those boys had been through, and you never will.”

Charles growled at him, trying his best to seem intimidating, but his heart wasn't in it. Overwhelmed, he tried to push against Erik, but his body was unmovable. He felt tears well up in his eyes and was ashamed at himself for letting the pirate see it. "Just... just let me go," he whispered, sniffing back sobs.

The grip on Charles immediately loosened and his expression softened as if the sight of his tears. "Don't do that," he said softly. His thumb wiped away a tear that had escaped those big, wet blue eyes.

Charles was confused by the strange and quick shift in Erik then, from hot to cold, hard to soft. He flinched when his gentle thumb brushed away a heavy tear. He tried to get away from him, but all he managed to do was hold himself harder against the wall. What confused him the most was that he did not really want to run away from him then. For some fucked up reason, Erik comforted him.

God, he was going insane.

"I need to learn more patience," Erik said, more to himself than to Charles. "Perhaps you should just go back to my quarters. I have other things to do."

Charles tried to wipe his own tears away now. He tried to tell himself to be strong. "And what do you expect I do all day and all night?" he challenged, but there was no anger in his voice as if it had all been exhausted out of him.

"I have a many shelves of books. You can see if there is something you have not read yet," Erik offered. He knew a bookworm when he saw one.

Charles wiped away another angry tear. For the first time in his life, he did not feel like reading. Then, something else caught him attention. It was something breeching his sensitive mind, and suddenly, he could not focus on anything else. Roughly pushing past Erik, he ran all the way to the front of the ship and placed a shaking two fingers on his temple despite the looks he earned from the others.

It was someone else. Someone else in this vast, open prison of the ocean. He desperately tried to hear them, to reach out to them. To pull them towards him, to rescue him. I am here, he said over and over in his mind. Save me, rescue me. 

"What are you doing?" Eric asked, running after him. The boy was quick when he needed to be. But why did he need to be?

Charles turned to look sharply at Erik. "Rescuing myself," he snapped as the ship finally came into view.

Erik’s expression turned dark and aggressive when he saw the ship in the distance and realized what had happened. "You little bitch," he snarled. He grabbed Charles painfully by the hair to yank him away from the edge, but the damage was already done. "Battle stations!" Eric screamed, and immediately, his crew quickly leapt into action just as the other ship opened fire. He pulled Charles down below deck, still by the strong locks of his brunette hair, and threw him into the captain's quarters as the whole ship shook from the attack. "Stay in here if you want to live!"

Charles did not have time to realize what he had done or to fight against Erik. The next thing he knew, he was pounding on the locked door so hard his fists threatened to bleed and he was no longer trying to hold back the flood of his tears. As he heard the commotion of the ship groaning to life and preparing for battle, he practically shook with fear. Helpless, he slumped onto the damp floor with his back to the door, no longer thinking that he would be rescued.


	3. Chapter 3

While the fighting ensued outside, Charles sat huddled against the door, weaponless. For a moment, he saw his own short life flash before his eyes. He wanted so desperately to be home, and as he closed his eyes, he could almost imagine himself there. The mind is a powerful tool, and as a telepath, he knew how to escape into the abyss of it. He could almost smell the polished furniture and old books of his father's study, the boyish smell of his bedroom... the harsh tone of Cain in his ear right before he punched him in the stomach.

He escaped there, blocking out any other stimuli around him and blocking out the fear that at any moment a pirate would storm through the door and gut him. He blocked out any fear that the entire ship would be killed off, leaving him to either be killed as well or kept for ransom by even more terrifying thieves.

He blocked out everything.

***

It didn't take longer than a half hour for Erik and his mutant crew to scare off the ship of human pirates, but not without a few injuries. During a brief moment of combat, Eric suffered a gash to his arm when he was not paying close enough attention to his attacker. He promptly threw the metal sword that had sliced him along with its owner overboard to drown. When finally it was over and the ship retreated, Erik was livid with Charles. His anger and adrenaline was enough to mask the pain in his arm for the moments it took to stalk down to his quarters where he knew the telepath was waiting. This time, he briefly allowed his mental shields to drop so Charles would experience the depths of his rage before he even walked into the room.

Charles was shaken awake again when suddenly he was consumed with someone else’s violent thoughts and he backed away from the door just in time for Erik to pound through it. Instinctively, he crawled to a corner of the room, trying to appear as small as possible. He backed away until he was flat against the wall. "What... what happened?" he asked breathlessly before he focused on the blood on Erik's arm through his sleeve.

"You almost got us killed, you fool!" Erik yelled, and all the metal in the room seemed to vibrate.

Charles jumped from the anger in his voice. He felt the metal around his neck vibrate and he reached to still it. "I- I'm sorry. I didn't know," he babbled, and when finally he felt far too vulnerable, he stood up against the wall. Eric was taller, but he was certain he was stronger in other ways. "Are they gone? Did they kill anyone?" he demanded, trying to look over Erik's shoulder. The others on the enemy ship were not mutants. They were humans.

"No, they didn't kill anyone, but I should throw you overboard for that little stunt," Erik snarled.

Charles jumped again from the sharpness in his voice. "Please, don't," he pleaded softly. "I just thought..." he began, but stopped himself. Erik would not understand. "I thought they would take me home."

"No one will be taking you home!" Erik finally snapped. "You will stay here on this ship with me!"

Charles flattened himself further against the wall, the ship now calmed to a gentle rock. "But... why me? There are many more mutants in the world, Erik... why do you want me so badly?" he finally asked, not that he wished his fate on others. But what was it about him that Erik refused to let go?

The chain vibrated again from Erik’s frustration. "I don't know... I just do," he growled, sounding now more defeated than angry. He sank down on the bed and put his head in his hands.

Charles was left even more confused by that answer. He studied Erik's broken frame and sighed. "You're hurt," he told him softly, and hesitated before he took a few steps closer to the pirate and sat down on the bed beside him. He knew that if Erik did not wrap the wound, it would become infected. As the son of a doctor, he knew this. "Let me..." he whispered, slowly reaching out to peel the ripped, blood soaked shirt away from the wound to look closely at it as if he were approaching a wild animal.

"It's fine," Erik muttered, even though he made no effort to pull away. Instead, he went completely still as Charles touched him.

"It's not fine, you big idiot," Charles told him, but there was no violence behind it. "You have to clean it and cover it. Luckily, the bleeding has already begun to stop. If you keep it clean and tend it daily, you don't need stitches," he told him softly, and as delicately as he could, he ripped the fabric away to expose the whole wound. He looked around the room for something to sterilize it, not stopping to wonder why he didn't just let his kidnapper suffer his own consequences. The only thing he found was a bottle of alcohol. He slipped off the bed to retrieve it before he snuck his way back to the other mutant’s side. He knew this next part would be hard.

"First, you drink it. Then I pour it on the wound," he told him as he held out the bottle, knowing that Erik may want some sort of numbness first.

Eric took a large gulp of the liquor without having to be asked more than once. Now that he was calming down, he was starting to feel the pain. "How did you learn to tend wounds?"

Charles took the liquor from Erik's hand, and instead of using it right away on his wound, he took a deep swig of his own before he wiped his mouth clean. "My father was... is a doctor," he told him as if he didn't want to explain any more to him. His father was a surgeon for many years until he went into politics. As if he hadn't already had enough money and power. "This will sting. Try not to move and let me do this," he warned, secretly expecting Erik to lash out on him. Bracing himself for the worst, he poured the liquor straight onto the wound.

Erik hardly even flinched as it burned his skin. Instead, he turned his gaze to stare at the telepath as if he were trying to memorize every freckle on his cheeks.

Charles furrowed his brows in concentration and bit his lip as he cleaned out the wound as best he could. He inched closer to get a better look and make sure no shards of the blade had embedded themselves in his flesh. He wondered why he was being so gentle and why the pirate was letting him. He glanced up at Erik for only a moment, having felt his stare, and blushed deeply before going back to his work as if he didn’t notice.

Erik's hand reached out as if it had a mind of its own and cupped Charles' face. His thumb brushed over the bite marks he was leaving on his own lip. "You shouldn't do that, you will hurt yourself," he chastised lightly.

Charles gave Erik a confused look, released his lip from between his teeth, and did not move away despite how much he did and didn't want to. "It's just a bad habit," he explained, fighting the urge to do it again.

"You do it when you are nervous or thinking too hard," Erik said. He had watched Charles very closely since he had kidnapped him. He tried to tell himself it was because he didn't trust him.

Charles looked back down at the wound. "I wasn't aware you watched me so closely," he said as he reached timidly for a clean, torn piece of shirt and ripping it to create a makeshift bandage. Once he had a big enough strip, he wrapped it gently around his wound.

"I wasn't aware you would be such a good doctor," Erik teased.

"Doctor?" Charles almost laughed. It should have offended him. "I wouldn't be a doctor. I thought of following my father’s footsteps, of course... going into medicine, becoming a surgeon. But I want to teach. I want to teach children like us," he admitted.

"You would make a very good teacher."

Charles finished tying the bandage around Erik's arm and pulled away. "Yes, well, not anymore," he told him a little resentfully. "You will have to clean this and change it daily," he instructed, knowing that the older man probably would neglect it. "Are any of the children hurt?"

"No, I protected them. That is why I got hurt. I wasn't paying attention to myself," Erik explained.

"How are you protecting them while making them thieves and pirates and killers?" Charles asked, because it did not make sense to them.

"You wouldn't understand. If you did, you wouldn't be so judgmental."

"Were you protecting me?" he asked boldly, remembering how quickly he had shoved him into his bedchambers and locked the door. "I could have defended myself, you know," he told him, but his tone lacked confidence.

"I wouldn't have let anything happen to you. Even if you did get us into this situation."

Charles inched away from him, wondering why his captive had any right to protect him. He needed someone to protect him from Erik, not the other way around. "I am hungry," he decided bossily, not looking him in the eyes.

Erik sighed and stood up. "I'll have someone in the kitchen bring you something, but you are not to leave this room," he demanded.

"Why not? It isn't as though I could run away. We are on a ship. Am I not allowed to get fresh air?" Charles stood up as he asked.

"Every time you leave this room, something happens. Just keep your ass here," Erik said, getting angry again. Charles was the only one besides his closest shipmates who dared to stand up to him and it infuriated him.

"I will need to breathe sometimes. It is stifling in here," he complained, but he sat down on the bed anyway. He took another deep swig of the alcohol he had cleaned Erik's wound with.

Erik jerked the bottle out of his hands. "No more drinking for you, either."

"What? What kind of pirate are you?" Charles huffed, throwing himself onto the bed and letting it engulf him, feeling very childish.

Erik rolled his eyes at the boy who at this time was defiantly showing his age. "The kind that, lucky for you, does not beat little bratty boys."

Charles glared at Erik and rose up from the bed, moving over to the bookcase and selecting an interesting, dusty novel. He wondered how he got so many. Books were a rarity, even he knew this. "Then go," he barked at him.

"Fine," Erik yelled right back. He left, slamming the door behind him.

***

Charles woke up later that evening with the book on his chest when he heard the pirate shut the bedchamber door behind him. He yawned luxuriously and sat up. "Does your arm hurt?" he asked, studying the other man through sleepy eyes.

"No," Erik lied, still aggravated with rebellious captive. "I see you helped yourself to my books."

"You forbade me to leave this room. I've forgotten what fresh air smells like and I am repeatedly seasick. What do you expect?" He raised his eyebrows, daring Erik to disagree.

"You've been sick?" Erik asked.

"Well, I've never been on a ship before," Charles admitted softly. "I suppose I am not as used to it as you are..."

"I have some tea that will help," Erik told him, taking out a jar from a shelf and preparing it with warm water he had at hand on the fresh tray of food he had entered with.

Charles hesitated before he stood and walked over to Erik and closely watched as the pirate prepared the remedy. "Where am I to sleep tonight?" he asked softly.

"In the bed, like you did last night. I will take the soft," Erik told him as he handed him the mug of steaming liquid. He was not looking forward to sleeping on the sofa with the wound on his arm.

"That is ridiculous. You will sleep on the bed, because I am not dressing your wound again when it gets infected," he told him sternly. He held the cup of tea in his hand, feeling its comforting warmth and familiar scent. Familiar yet exotic.

"You want me to sleep on the bed with you?" Erik asked with one raised eyebrow. "I thought you were afraid of the big bad pirate stealing your virtue."

Charles blushed and turned away. "Don't be silly, I will sleep on the couch," he insisted, sipping the tea gingerly.

"It's a big bed," Erik pointed out, wanting to push Charles’ delicate boundaries. "I think I can control myself enough for us to share it."

Charles shifted nervously on his feet. "Aren't you afraid of a mind reader so close to you while you sleep?" he challenged.

"I trust you to behave… because if you don’t..." Erik threatened as he moved the chain around Charles's neck with his power.

"Oh, stop treating me like I am a child. And this ugly piece of stolen jewelry doesn't frighten me," Charles insisted defiantly, if only to hide his nervousness at just the thought of sharing a bed with the other man.

"I think you protest too much," Erik said, his tone changing suggestively. He stepped closer into Charles personal space and reached out to trace the necklace along his collarbone. "I think you really like this."

Charles practically gasped when Eric moved closer and spoke to him in ways that sent hard shivers up his spine. He tried to stand his ground and straightened his back. “I do not like it. I am not your pet," he glared.

"This collar says otherwise," Erik teased softly.

Charles continued to glare his sharp blue eyes into Erik's and tugged hard on the necklace. It would not break. "I would rather jump off this ship into shark infested waters."

Erik stepped away with a smirk. "Get to bed. It's getting late," he said, patting Charles' round backside as he walked past him to the couch. Charles jumped and turned to give him an angry glare.

Charles crossed his arms over his chest and stood where he was. "I don't think you can stop me from doing what I want to do," he pushed him deliberately with his defiant words. "I don't think you have any real power over me."

"I'm bigger than you. I have power over that necklace around your neck and this is my ship," Erik told him.

Charles stopped and took a few steps closer to Erik, so close they were almost touching. "You may be physically stronger than I, but my mind is nothing to mess with. That flimsy glass barrier you have wrapped around your precious thoughts… I can break through it in a second. I have just chosen not to, because even though I despise you, I still respect a man's wishes for me to stay out," he told him with a strong, confident whisper.

Erik smirked, enjoying the feel of Charles being so close to him. "You think you’re so noble, but I'm the first person you've met who knew what you truly were. No one else has been able to tell you to stay out of their heads, but I'm sure you explored them anyway."

Charles did not answer that question nor did he step back from where he stood. He had to stop from standing on his tip toes to reach the level of his wild, deep green eyes. "There were people who knew. Mutants and humans. My mother and father certainly knew. I was not hiding. I just wanted to remind you that the second I feel I am bored of it, I could slip into your mind without you even noticing. That girl, the telepath on your ship... she is nothing compared to me."

The necklace around Charles' neck automatically tightened around his throat at the threat, and Charles made a soft noise as his hands came up to grab at the chain. He knew that he could go into the pirate's mind and take away his ability to do this if he could only remember how. But he was panicking, and he had never been good with his powers when he panicked. Frightened, he reached out for Erik, practically falling into him, his hands on his shoulders, his chest to his chest.

The unexpectedness of having Charles fall into his arms made Erik release his hold. He held Charles for a few moments before he pushed the other mutant onto the bed and held down his smaller form. "Think about this moment next time you try to threaten me."

Charles angrily wiped tears away from his eyes once he was able to breathe and his vision cleared, and not knowing what else to do, he reached up and tried to shove Erik away. Erik growled and pinned Charles's hands above his head. "You just like to push and push, don't you?"

Charles heard the pirate's growl rumble through his whole body. He felt electric shocks of excitement up his spine. He did not understand it. "I'm just not going to sit by as you chastise me like a disobedient puppy-"

"I wouldn't have to if you didn't act like a bratty child!" Erik interrupted.

"I am not a child," Charles responded weakly.

Erik let him go. "Maybe not, but you are still a brat."

Charles laid back on the bed in exhaustion. "Forget what I said earlier. I am sleeping in your bed. Alone."

"No, you are not."

***

They woke the next morning to the sound of Emma thudding on the door. When no one came, she kicked it open just in time to see Charles start awake and jump off the mattress as if he did not want to admit that he had just spent the night in the captain's bed. With him. She probably took it the wrong way, although they had slept with as much room between them as possible. His eyes hazy with sleep and hair messy, he pulled his knees to his chest. He was going to ask her what was wrong before she came over to Erik and shook him awake.

"You are neglecting your crew, Captain," she hissed, using that word against him. "The boys are fighting. Something about the last piece of bread. I'm sick of always being the one to get the shit done around here!"

"They’re boys, they are always fighting," Eric sighed, sitting up slowly but not bothering to get out of bed.

"Maybe because there is a strong lack of leadership on this ship," Emma snapped, and looked over at Charles. "You have to stop focusing on your whore and pay attention to your boys."

"He's not my whore!" Erik finally snapped. "Get the hell out of my room before I toss you out!" Charles was about to open his mouth and shout at her in his defense, but was shocked to see Erik beat him to it. "Let me speak with the children. I'm certain I can calm them down," he spoke softly to them.

"Because that went so well last time," Erik said sarcastically.

Charles gave him a cold look and slipped out of the bed. He dared either of the two pirates to stop him as he walked out of the bedroom and onto the deck above. Erik, still half asleep, smirked as he watched him go.

"Oh, so now the telepathic whore is running the ship? You need to get yourself together, Erik, or this ship is going down." If he had been listening, he may have heard the threat in her voice.

"He's not hurting anyone and I don't think I like your tone," Erik responded.

"You and I are a good team, Erik, but I think you have forgotten your duties and why you are here. He doesn't belong here and he is only going to drag us down. We have work to do," she reminded him, defiantly taking a step forward to show her lack of fear towards her captain.

"You've never been interested in 'our work.' You are more interested in sitting around and having the weaker mutants wait on you hand and foot!" Erik yelled.

"Would I be here if I truly didn't care? You have lost your way, Erik," Emma told him angrily, and just before she walked away, she added, "And you better keep your boy on a tighter leash. He is speaking to the children."

Erik rolled his eyes, not taking her seriously at all. He knew she would never actually kill him. Make his life hell, yes, but she wouldn't murder him in his sleep. Charles, however, was not below her radar.

***

Charles expected one of them to stop him before he reached the deck, but when he did not feel hands on him, he kept going. He stepped out into the sun and felt it warm him. "Stop fighting! Both of you!" he shouted towards Alex and Hank who were at each other's throats while the rest of the young crew either tried to stop them or egg them on. When they did not listen right away, he stepped between them and shoved them away, and instantly, they stopped. Charles exhaled. "And what is all this about?" he asked.

"Alex is an asshole!" Hank shouted at the same time Alex said, "Hank is a asshole!"

Charles positioned himself in between both lost boys. "Alright, gentlemen. I think the problem is that you all have a slight case of cabin fever. Boredom. You are all stuck on this ship together, so tensions are bound to spike at times. But you all have to calm down before you upset your powers to blow up this ship," he told them calmly. "Now, it is none of my business what happened, but I'm sure it is nothing to get this angry about. If you are angry, most of you can practice your powers in a safe way to blow off steam," he suggested.

The children all looked at him in amazement, forgetting their fight.

Erik came up to the deck just in time to hear Alex tell Charles, "Magneto usually just throws us over deck and makes us swim back to the boat to blow off steam."

Charles was appalled by that. His jaw dropped just in time for Erik to come back into view. "You do that to them?" he asked outright as he turned to face the captain. He had nothing to lose, anyway. He could be as defiant and blunt as he wanted.

"Alex is hot headed. A cool swim does him good sometimes," Erik admitted.

"No more hot headed than you, Erik," Charles shot back at him, using his first name and hearing the children behind him gasp. "Are you going to throw me off board, too?"

Eric grabbed Charles and pulled him flush against him. "Why do you continue to test my patience?"

Charles tried to swallow his gasp when Eric manhandled him. Something other than fear possessed him then, but he couldn't pinpoint what it was. "Because I realize I have nothing left to lose," he told him quietly as if he were realizing it himself for the first time.

The necklace around his neck tightened as the pirate grew angrier. He didn't know what made him madder... Charles defying him or the thought of him giving up.

***

That evening, Charles watched the sun fade below the sea and felt hopeless. Hopeless that he would ever see land again, that he would ever see his friends again, and helpless that he would ever be more than a prisoner. But he would not miss his family, he would not miss his drunken mother and abusive father. Still, a life with them was far better than a life in the open sea, where there was no escape except for the painful death of the water below. Or so he was telling himself.Once it was dark, he walked below deck to his prison to read by candlelight.

Eric came into the bedroom a few moments later and gave Charles an irritated glance before he poured himself a large glass of wine. He was intent on ignoring him and getting as drunk as possible, but Charles perked up from his book the moment he smelled the rich wine. He placed the leather bound novel on the bed and walked over to the table. "Well, don't be greedy," he reached for it.

Erik rolled his eyes and thought about not sharing, but he was tired of fighting. "You can have one glass," he allowed.

"I will have as much as I like, sir," Charles replied back. Erik was not that much older than him, after all, and he was sure he was far more powerful. He practically filled his glass to the brim. "Soon I will run out of books. What am I to do then?" he asked, but before he could give Erik a chance to answer, he added, "If you are planning to keep me here until I perish... I would like to teach the children." He bit his lip nervously, not meeting his eyes.

"Teach them what, exactly?" Erik asked, curious as to what he had in mind.

Charles shrugged, taking his first sip of wine and wincing at the taste. "Everything," he answered simply. "They are just children. I wish to teach them about who they are... about the world itself," he added, and finally looked up to meet Erik's eyes. "If you would let me. Until, of course, I am rescued."

A smile did tug at Erik's lips. "Teach them whatever you want... until you are rescued, of course. "

Charles gave a genuine, toothy smile to Erik and it felt strange. He hadn't expected it to make him so happy. He quickly allowed the smile to fade. "Cheers, then," he held up his glass to him. "Come on," he insisted when Erik gave him a strange look.

Erik clinked his glass against Charles' but continued to stare at him. "Teaching the children would make you that happy?"

Charles frowned and took another deep drink of the bitter wine. "It would not make me want to stay, if that is what you are getting at," he reminded him. He stood up, and almost instantly, he was hit with a wave of dizziness and distortion. He swayed and caught himself with his hands on the table. "Erik... what did you..." he panicked.

Erik panicked and quickly took Charles into his arms before he could hit the floor hard. "What is it?" he asked as he laid him down on the floor. His own legs seemed to give out from underneath him, but he was too focused on the fainting telepath to take notice.

Charles felt his body go numb and knew he only had a few seconds of consciousness left. Was he dying? Was he truly dying, death by poison? "You didn't-..." he began when he saw the genuine panic in the pirate's face and knew this hadn't been him. "Don't drink... the wine, Erik," he pleaded as much as he could as he began to fall asleep, not realizing that it was too late.

Erik had already drunk it.


	4. Chapter 4

Charles woke with the morning sun stinging his closed eyelids and the taste of salty grit in his mouth. As he became more conscious, he began to feel the pain in his head. It was not the kind of pain that came from a very intense telepathic exercise, but an actual human headache. A hangover headache. At first, it was as blinding as the sun and he could not process anything else. Slowly, however, he began to become blindly conscious of other things. He felt as if the ground had molded to him. He felt the grain against his skin and the strange sounds of birds over his body. Funny, he hadn't heard the sound of birds since...

He had been rescued! His eyes flung open and he looked around himself frantically. But there was nothing. Nothing but white sand and the immense, open, lonely expanse of ocean in front of him and the dark terrifying jungle behind him. He was alone.

Well, not quite alone. His heart sank into his belly as he looked down at the unconscious body beside him. Erik was still entirely unconscious, his cracked lips slack and his face smeared with sand. Charles looked to the other side of him, finding a bag full of supplies: A full bottle of wine, a few bags of what had to be food, a supply of water, a notebook and pencil, and a blanket. And out of the bag, strapped to his belt, was… a knife.

It was a small dagger, meant to be used discretely and fatally. It lay in a sheath on his left hip, and he found himself reaching for it as if it were calling to him. As if he was meant to. He instantly knew why he had it. He knew why it had been left with him. Once quick glance at his unconscious companion told him that the sleeping pirate had not been given a weapon.

The knife was meant to kill Erik.

That may set him free, right? He thought of what he had done to him, what he did to his village, the life he had taken away from him, and he felt his bloodshot eyes darken. Yes, he thought silently to himself, this is the only chance he had. He had nothing left to lose, after all. He was going to die on this island, and there was only so much food and water...

He unshielded the dagger delicately and shifted quietly to straddle Erik's hips in such an intimate way that it would have made him blush if only in that moment he was sane. Bearing his teeth, Charles pressed the blade onto the captain's throat. He felt its exquisite sharpness touch the vulnerable softness of his throat and braced himself for the next step. But the next step didn't come. Something was holding him back, and he was nearly shaking with the conflict tearing at his soul. He was not a murderer. He could not take life, even to avenge his own. And most important of all, he did not want to hurt Erik.

"Are you going to kill me, Charles?"

He started when suddenly Erik’s voice interrupted his haze loud and clear, and only then did he realize the pirate was looking straight up into his eyes, his body as frozen as ever, with something that hinted to be an amused smirk on his parched lips. Charles braced himself when he watched Erik slowly breathe back to life as if he feared nothing. He gripped the knife harder, feeling his hand ache and feeling his body weighing down in strange places on top of the pirate.

Erik knew. He knew that he didn’t want to kill him. Perhaps he knew even more than Charles did what it was that was stopping him. And somehow, he realized, it was all different now.

He could not pry his eyes off of Erik's as if they held his own in a spell, and finally, something inside him snapped and broke into glass shattered pieces. Releasing his grip on the knife and on his reserve completely, it sank deeply into the soft sand as he dropped his lips to his to kiss him hard.

Erik was so surprised that it took him a moment to respond, but when he finally did, he kissed him back desperately and passionately. Charles tasted of salt and wet desire against Erik's parched lips. His own hands clutched the smaller man to roll them over so he was on top, holding him down and preventing him from escaping. Charles surrendered completely. He felt himself pressed further into the warm sand as his body arched up against his and his hands explored up the pirate's clothed chest feverishly.

He had never kissed another man before. There was something about it that made him never want to think of women the same way again. There was something about the way he tasted, the way he felt against him, the way he dominated, the way he felt his own body swoon as he buried his hand in the other man's hair to insist the kiss continued. There was something about the heaviness of his groin against his. There was no pretending anymore. He had been set free, in a way.

Charles legs spread as he bucked almost involuntarily against him. "You are so beautiful," Erik whispered as he kissed down the telepath’s neck, tasting his salty sweat on his skin.

Charles felt those words rumble through his body and experienced a full body shiver. He wondered briefly if Erik was even aware of anything but this moment, if he even knew that their lives were over. But he supposed that none of it really mattered. Not anymore. He knew they were just in something like a dream. He gasped when he felt Erik's lips travel down his throat which he had just learned was a very sensitive part of him. No one had ever kissed him with such obsession and passion and no one had ever touched him like this with such broad, calloused hands that gripped him a little too roughly.

Finally, it was all too much, and Charles erupted with a growl as he took Erik off guard and wrestled him swiftly onto his back, resuming his earlier position and hoping that would give him more power to stop whatever this was that was happening. Erik allowed it mostly because Charles' little growl both amused him and turned him on. His fingers gripped the telepath’s wet and sandy hair and pulled him back far enough so he could talk to him. "Being on land has given you courage," he teased in a low voice.

Charles was stirred from whatever dream or nightmare had him lost and realized that Erik must actually be aware of where they were. He held back tears. "They drugged us. They drugged us and left us here to die..." he whispered, the desperation clear in his shaking voice, but he still could not pry his eyes off of the pirate's.

"It’s going to be alright," Erik soothed him automatically. He had been in worse situations than this, after all, and he was confident in his own survival skills. He only worried for Charles who hadn't been exposed to much of the outside world, no matter how well read he was. "I'll take care of you and it won't be too long before Raven takes the ship back over. We just need to survive until she does."

Charles bit his swollen, red lip hard as he looked around. The beach was wide and open, but in front of them was nothing but jungle. He would never survive. "You act like you aren't surprised..." he trailed off, his eyes still wide with fear and his mind still swimming from the kiss and the way he was still straddling him. "Are you so confident in her?" he asked hopefully. What if she was dead? What if Emma had killed them all off? No, she couldn’t have… she needed a crew to man that big of a ship.

Charles slowly began to ease off of Erik's hips, but didn't go far. Erik grabbed him to keep him right where he wanted him. "She's a smart girl and Emma isn't exactly popular with the crew. This is not the first time I’ve experienced mutiny. I know where my allies lie.”

Charles didn't make another move to leave him. Out of desperation, he closed his eyes and touched the tips of his shaking fingers to his temple, searching for life somewhere. But all was silent. "We must build shelter... we will never make it if we don't...." he told him, the fear still causing his voice to be unsteady.

In response to his babbling, Erik sat up so they were face to face and kissed him more gently than he had before. Charles was visibly surprised by the soft kiss that made him forget everything else. He closed his eyes and arched towards him and towards the kiss as he deepened it bravely. His shaking hands reached for the other man's broad, muscled chest and gripped the damp, torn fabric of his shirt.

Erik pulled away to lean his forehead against his. "I never thought I'd have you like this. I never thought you would let me touch you."

Charles was lulled by the sudden gentleness of the pirate and felt himself melt into him. He was dazed when Erik broke the kiss to speak just as softly as his lips had been. "You don't mean that. We are still... delusional from the poison," he whispered, wanting to use that as an excuse, though his head felt clearer and his judgment sharper than ever.

"I have wanted you in my bed since the moment I saw you," Erik admitted without hesitation as his hands grew bold and groped Charles' backside. "I saw you standing all alone at one of your father's parties and I have never wanted anyone more than you."

Charles nearly jumped and he heard words he never imagined anyone would say to him. "Is that why you kidnapped me?" he asked shyly, staring at Erik with a look of pure amazement.

"Well, that and you looked... lonely," Erik confessed.

"What?" Charles asked, confused. He wondered just how long Erik watched him before he kidnapped him. "I... I wasn't lonely. I had friends, classmates... I had my family and... I had girls," he tried to convince both the pirate and himself.

"Girls, huh?" Erik teased playfully. "I bet none of your girls kissed you like I kiss you.

Charles licked his bottom lip and tasted him there. "No, certainly not," he admitted before something else distracted him. "Your arm... Are you in pain?" he asked, suddenly worried. He quickly removed the old, soggy bandage to study it. "You must wash it in the water and let me redress it..."

Erik groaned. He didn’t want to worry about such things when he had the warm weight of Charles on his lap. He looked towards the bag he knew Raven had thrown to them. "Look through the bag and see what kind of supplies we have. I will look around for some shelter."

Charles looked at him uneasily. "We are going to separate?" he asked worriedly, not wanting to be alone. What if something happened?

"I'll let you into my mind," Erik proposed. After such intimacy as what they had just shared, it would be easy.

Charles still looked unsure down at Erik's chest. He still did not think it was a good idea, but the thought of finally being connected telepathically excited him. "If we must," he whispered, but made no move off of the pirate.

Erik's hands rubbed slowly up and down Charles' thighs. "You like being on top of me," he teased.

Charles felt something stir even deeper inside of him when he felt his hands on his thighs. It was almost too much. Without admitting anything, he leaned his forehead to his and closed his eyes. "Let me into your mind," he pleaded. Erik let out a shaky breath. He closed his eyes and concentrated on lowering his shields and letting the warmth of his mind into his.

Charles was determined to not take advantage when he felt Erik’s defenses drop. He could also feel the anxiety radiating off of him before he even slipped inside his mind. To distract him, he closed his eyes and leaned down to kiss him again, shyly at first, but it grew bold as the taste of him sent him reeling. He did not invade his mind. Instead, he only shared with him his own.

Erik relaxed when Charles did no delve deep into his soul. He suddenly flipped them both over again and settled comfortably in between Charles's thighs as he continued to kiss him. Charles was more turned on by being roughly manhandled than he would like to have admitted, and when he felt Erik ease between his legs, he bucked involuntarily as if he were starved for it. Apparently, being lost in the middle of nowhere and facing imminent death had made him desperate with need of another kind. Or maybe he was just finally giving in.

Either way, he knew that if this continued, he wouldn't be able to control himself. It took all his strength and willpower to end the kiss and inch away. "I- I should check the bag. There could be something in there to save our lives..." he told him, sliding out from underneath him to reach for the satchel and tried to hide his blush and arousal. He did not admit that he had already searched through it.

Erik smirked and let Charles go. "I'll go look for somewhere to spend the night."

"Please... don't go far," Charles told him.

Erik smiled cockily before he stood and stretched, the sun dancing on his muscled arms before he walked off with confidence towards the jungle.

***

Erik wasn't gone long. The small cave he found wasn't far from the beach and a fresh stream of water ran close by. He came back to find Charles still rummaging through the bag as if he were searching in the bag’s very fibers for anything he could be missing.

"We need to move. I found a place for us to sleep."

This time, Charles heard Erik coming not from his footsteps in the sand but from his mind. "Well, I hope it is a nice tavern with a bar, because I am done with ships and islands," he grumbled like the spoiled rich brat that he could be.

Erik pulled the telepath to his feet as if he weighed nothing at all. Charles widened his eyes in alarm and gripped him instinctively. "I fear you will be wishing for that ship by the time this adventure is over."

"Perhaps," he admitted, trying to be brave. He envied the pirate’s confidence. "Show me our new home."

Erik hefted the bag up with one hand and took Charles' hand with the other. Charles allowed it mostly because he knew he would be lost in a heartbeat otherwise. "It's only temporary. Keep that in mind," he told him as he led them towards the jungle.

"Are you sure this is safe?" Charles asked hesitantly as he eyed the cave wearily. It offered shelter, for sure, but he feared the animals he knew may be hungry tonight.

"It is safer here than being out in the open," Erik shrugged as he sat the bag down on ground inside the cave.

"I found a bit of flint in the bag… we can build a fire to scare off the animals," Charles told him.

***

Charles had very limited experience building fires with only flint and sand and damp wood, but Erik seemed to know exactly what to do as he sat back with his knees to his chest, feeling helpless and vulnerable and confused by the kisses he still tasted on his lips. It became dark quickly and he became increasingly hungry before he broke down and began to chew some dried jerky he found in the bag. Once he ate all he thought he should, he reached for the bottle of wine and took a few deep gulps.

"It is getting cold," he complained softly.

Erik stood and took off his coat before he draped it over Charles' shoulders. "It will only get colder," he warned as he sat down beside him.

Charles accepted the coat that was now dry and smelled of sand and Erik. He huddled inside of it and inched closer to the pirate, hoping the other man wouldn't notice. "You really think we will get off this island?" he asked timidly. "And if we do... am I still your captive?"

Erik was quiet for a few moments before he spoke again. "When we get back to my ship, and we will get back... I will drop you off where ever you want," he promised quietly.

It took another moment for Charles to realize that he meant it. "Really?" he asked in excitement, turning to him eagerly, now practically halfway in his lap. Never mind that they may never survive long enough to get off this island. Erik had released him. "I... I want you to come with me. To land," he decided nervously before he could even think about what he had said.

Erik sighed deeply. "Charles, I can't do that. I don't belong there. I can't blend in like you can," he tired to explain. He was undeniably touched that Charles had asked him, but there was no way he would ever live anywhere but on the open ocean.

Charles didn't worry because he knew he could change his mind. Or at least, he would try everything to get him to. "Yes, you can. You just don't allow yourself. You and the children... you can help me start my school," he hoped.

"You are such a dreamer, Charles. You are lucky I find that quality endearing," Erik teased as he pulled the telepath the rest of the way into his lap.

Charles did not move, only wiggled so he was more comfortable and bit his lip nervously. "You know, if I'm not your captive anymore, you cannot manhandle me," he told him, and although his tone was serious, he knew Erik would sense he was teasing just under the surface. He tried to ignore the electric shocks that seemed to make him shudder from being so close to him.

Erik's hands wandered up Charles’ thighs to rest on his hips. "I like manhandling you. You are just small enough to fit perfectly against me."

Charles squirmed when he felt his broad hands explore him, and suddenly, he was not so chilly. When he felt his lips on his neck, he panicked a little and his hands instinctively pressed against the other man's chest as if they were ready to push him away. This was new to him. It was terrifying. "I'm not small," he disagreed a little defensively as he squirmed out from under his lips despite how every touch seemed to set him on fire. "You are just abnormally tall."

Erik leaned back and grinned at Charles. "You are the perfect size," he told him sincerely.

It was much more intimate now that they had both stopped pretending. "Perfect size for what?" he asked, though he may already know the answer. He wished he would kiss him again. He wasn't good at this breaking the ice thing... at least not with Erik. His corny pick up lines he used to use on girls back home would never work on him.

"I'd make you blush even more if I told you," Erik teased before he cupped Charles' face with his hands and kissed him slowly.

The kiss was gentle and patient and Charles wanted to believe so badly that it meant just as much to Erik as it meant to him. He broke the kiss when he decided to ask him something verbally as opposed to taking it straight from his mind. "Are you doing this because you want it? How do I know... that I'm not just one of your quick lays? I've made you hate me."

"I could never hate you," Erik told him honestly. "And you are anything but meaningless to me." He lifted Charles to lay him onto his back as he leaned his own body on top of him. "You have bewitched me."

Charles knew he was telling the truth, as hard to believe as it was. He knew because his mind was open wide to him and the honesty was there. It was enough to make him cry with happiness and fear. His life was bland and unexciting before Erik swept him away and rescued him from the mundane existence that had been unknowingly doomed to live. He didn't even care at that moment if he ever got off this island.

"We are both out of our minds," he smiled timidly, wanting to feel Erik's entire weight on top of his body. He slowly cupped his cheek in his palm intimately.

"I hear insanity is catching,” Erik smiled as his hand snuck up Charles' shirt to feel his bare chest. "Can I see what's under all these clothes?" he asked gently, not wanting to spook him.

Charles shivered when he felt his cock breech full hardness from Erik’s exploring hands. He arched his back. "I expected during my first time with a handsome pirate for them to be ripped off of me," he said with a sly smile.

"I don't want to scare you. I don't want you to think this is something you have to do. I know that on first night on the ship you were frightened I would force myself on you," Erik explained as he began to unbutton Charles' shirt slowly as if he were unwrapping a gift.

Charles grew impatient and wondered why all the sudden Erik was treating him like a shard of glass. This was the gentle, passionate mutant he knew was always inside of him. He wondered if he had ever been this way to anyone else and hoped that this was all just for him. "I knew you wouldn't. You wanted me far too much to do such a thing, and you are a good person, whether you know it or not," he admitted, allowing Erik to unbutton his tattered shirt. He was nervous, incredibly so, but he wanted this more than anything at this moment.

"Not yet good," he responded, nipping lightly at Charles' chest.

Charles gasped softly and arched into him. He was going to become a wanton slut, begging for more, if he didn't do something. Knowing this, he reached up and landed his lips on his in a searing kiss to tell Erik in ways he could not in words that he wanted this just as desperately as he wanted him. Shyly, his hands sought the other man's broad chest, slipping under his shirt to feel his beautifully sculpted muscles there.

Erik pulled his own shirt over his head before he immediately went back to kissing the life out of Charles. Once he pushed the younger mutant’s shirt over his shoulders, his fingers went to his trousers. "I'm going to make you mine tonight," he told him, his breath against his ear.

Charles' tongue battled his sloppily. He allowed Erik to dominate every kiss, every touch, and he allowed his own emotions control him. He felt like he was coming apart and he didn't want to pick up the pieces of himself. It was sheer passion and lust and want and need, and it woke things inside of him he didn't know he could feel. He could not help but project this to him with his mind.

"Wasn't I always?" Charles asked between hot kisses, thinking of the necklace he still wore around his neck. Once Erik's shirt was off, he was captivated with the beauty of him and suddenly felt inadequate next to him. He did not have the perfected muscles he had. How could he think he was beautiful? "I... I haven't done this before. With a man," he told him hurriedly, though he knew Erik knew. Still, it was the only way to tell the pirate that he was scared.

"Good, one less person I have to kill," teased lightly, hoping to calm him. "We won't do anything you are not ready for."

Charles shook his head quickly, not wanting this to stop. "No... no, I want it all. I want you," he whispered shamelessly against his lips, his blush deepening so much he was sure Erik could feel the heat of it on his own cheeks. His shaking hand slowly slid down the other man's chest, feeling the ripples of muscle under his fingers. "But I just don't know what to do, what we can do..." he admitted, not willing to show just how frustrated he was. He wanted something, everything from him, but he didn't know what it was.

"I'll show you everything," Erik promised as his hand slipped into Charles' trousers and gripped his cock to stroke him slowly but steadily.

Charles didn't know what was happening until he felt Erik's strong, broad hand on the center of his need. "Ah!" he cried out so loud that it made him glad they were on a deserted island and arched into him. He moaned softer this time as he bit his lip hard and tried to get as close to Erik as possible, trying to hide his expression against the other man’s cheek.

Erik chuckled and sucked on Charles' neck, intent on leaving a mark. "It will only get better," he told him before he untangled himself from him only to strip the telepath completely of his trousers.

Charles gasped, but before he could cover himself up as he fully intended to do, he felt Erik's mouth on his cock and he cried out even louder as if he were unable to control himself. Girls had done the same thing to him, of course, but nothing compared to how it felt to have Erik's lips around his cock. He accidentally thrust into his hot mouth, covering his own mouth with his hand to stifle the cries that were erupting from him. His other hand reached over his head to grip something, anything, and felt himself fist the earth. "Fuck!" he gasped, blushing when he realized his own profanity.

Erik concentrated on not choking while he swallowed Charles down and pulled back to chuckle when the posh English gentleman cursed. He sucked a bruise on his soft hip before he placed his fingers against Charles' parted lips. "Suck them," he ordered.

Dazed and confused, Charles was willing to do whatever Erik asked at that moment. His thighs trembled as he eagerly took the offered fingers into his mouth and sucked them, thoroughly wetting them as if they were another part of him. He opened his eyes and met his seductively.

Erik pulled his fingers away and kissed the other mutant gently while they found his entrance. Charles tasted himself on the pirate’s tongue, and distracted by the kiss, his hands slid up the pirate's back and tangled tightly in his hair. He did not know what was happening until he felt those wet fingers unexpectedly breech him and his own body clenching down on him. He gasped and broke the kiss, his mind open to Erik to read. Everything he was feeling he projected. He couldn't help it. As a telepath, he had always had trouble with sex. He had always held back. It was so strange yet so exciting to be with someone who he didn’t have to hold back from.

"What..." he began.

"Shhhh, I'm just trying to get you ready," Erik explained. The telepath was unbelievably tight around his fingers that it made him dizzy.

Charles forced himself to relax and brushed his lips against his to beg for another kiss. When his fingers sank in deeper, he inhaled sharply and tried to tell himself it had to get much better. And then, suddenly, it did. Charles' entire body jolted with pleasure when the pirate’s fingers sank in much deeper and pressed against something that made him see stars. "Ah!" he cried out, widening his eyes in amazement as he gazed into Erik’s questioningly.

"It's alright. Just relax," Erik whispered against Charles' lips. "I have to open you up so I can fit inside you."

Charles understood that as much as he could and relaxed underneath him. The idea of Erik being inside him exhilarated him. "Yes, I want that," he whispered as his own idle hand reached down the pirate's chest to grasp his hard cock. It was the first he had ever touched besides his own. Erik was a little thicker and larger than he was, and he wondered just how it was going to ever fit inside of him. His hand shyly explored his hardness and experimentally stroked him.

Erik groaned, and finally, he could not hold himself back any longer. He threw Charles' exploring hand away and pushed his cock against his entrance, too consumed with lust and need to think of anything else as he pushed slowly into him. "Just breathe."

Charles felt his cock hard against his entrance, but instead of panicking, he was swept away by lust. His own cock was erect against his abdomen and leaking at the tip, and he had never felt more desperate for anything before in his life. "Yes, do it..." he pleaded, the need thick in his voice as his hands clenched his muscular arms.

Erik bit down on his neck before he began to thrust roughly into his unyielding body, unable to control himself any longer.

Charles was suddenly overwhelmed with pain. It was all too much, this burning pain that tore him apart. He gasped, tears stinging his eyes as he cried out. "Erik! Stop!" he demanded.

Erik stopped his thrusts, but he did not pull out. "Just relax, it will get better," he tried to promise him, not wanting to stop.

"It's... it's too much, too fast," he panted heavily, his eyes wet with tears. "You're hurting me," he told him, and out of desperation, he projecting it all to his lover.

"Fuck," Erik cursed when he felt Charles' pain. He pulled out quickly and tried to kiss the other man’s tears away. "I'm so sorry," he soothed gently.

Charles growled and pushed himself away quickly, feeling a small amount of blood drip down his leg. He glared viciously and distanced himself until there were a few feet in between them. He was still unable to catch his breath.

"It's always hard the first time," Erik tried to explain.

Charles angrily wiped away his tears. "You were far too rough," he whispered, not willing to admit that it frightened him. "I am not one of your... your female whores, you know… you must be far gentler," he accused, not daring to look him in the eyes. "At least, at first," he added down to the ground.

"I'm sorry, Charles. I lost control and we should have used something to ease the way. It's been a long time since I've been with another man. A very long time."

Charles finally looked up at his new lover. He knew this to be true. Eric had never been with anyone like him before. To Erik, Charles was practically a virgin. And he did not know how to love someone. "You've never been gentle with anyone before," he stated out loud, hoping he did not overstep his boundaries by observing the surfaces of his mind. But really, he did not need to be a mind reader to know this. "It wasn't your fault. And I provoked you," he whispered, inching closer and closer to Erik until he was inches away again. He tried not to make the pain and soreness he felt affect him or the way he moved. "I'm sorry... I'm sorry I couldn't do it, I should be able to do it..." he whispered in self pity.

Erik felt himself calming as the other mutant slowly approached him again. "It's not your fault, Charles. I should not have rushed you. We should go take a swim in the ocean and get you cleaned up."

Charles swallowed down his fear and inched even closer to kiss him soundly on the lips, hoping that Erik had not suddenly decided to change his mind about how he felt about him. He slipped into his mind, but only found confusion there. "It is far too cold for a swim," he told him. "Just lay down with me.”

Erik maneuvered them both so that they were lying down with Charles pulled up beside him. "You’re bleeding," he said worriedly.

Charles settled down until he was almost halfway on top of him, needing his warmth and reassurance. "I am alright," he promised, and one hand came up to tangle in the pirate's hair as he planted a deep kiss on his mouth. "Next time, we need to be careful," he whispered against his mouth.

Erik's fingers found their way to the blood on his thighs. "I know. You are a virgin."

Charles shifted nervously at that, not having considered himself as a virgin since he was a young teenager. But with Erik, he may as well be. He nuzzled him affectionately as his hand drifted down his chest that was damp with sweat and grasped his cock in his hand. "I still want to please you," he whispered.

"Not tonight. I do not want to find pleasure when I caused you pain," Erik insisted as he stopped Charles' wandering hand.

Charles found that hard to believe when the arousal and frustration and need was still radiating off of the pirate. //Stop blaming yourself// he whispered in his mind, speaking to him bluntly through it for the first time. It made the situation that much more intimate, and it didn't frighten him at all. //Please, let me// he asked again, trying to free his hand from Erik's iron grip.

Erik was startled when Charles' voice was suddenly loud and clear in his head. He sighed and let go of his hand. "If you wish," he finally conceded.

Charles smiled and let his hand slide down to gently grasp his half hard erection in his hand again. It was hot and heavy and thick in his palm, and he wondered how he would ever fit inside of him without ever hurting him. He kept that thought to himself, but projected his thoughts of adoration towards him as he began to stroke him firmly.

"Fuck," Eric exhaled as he thrust into Charles' hand and pulled him into a sloppy kiss.

Charles kissed back messily as his hand found its slow, steady rhythm. He wanted to explore him more, and remembering how good Erik's mouth felt wrapped around his cock, he portrayed the fantasy of doing that to him with his mind. He broke the kiss to trail his lips down his neck and gasped against the pulse point in his neck as he brushed Erik’s hand away from his own hardening erection. He wanted this to be about Erik. He wanted to explore him, pleasure him, and he did not want to be distracted. Before Erik could protest, Charles slid his lips down his chest, stopping to worship his flat, muscled abdomen. He wondered if he could feel the heat from his skin as he experimentally licked up the head of his cock.

"Oh gods!" Erik yelled as his hands tangles in Charles' wavy hair.

Encouraged by his lover’s enthusiastic response, Charles slowly licked up his shaft and tasted his bitter saltiness with a soft moan. Glancing his big blue eyes up into his own green oceans, he tried to relax his throat and slid his mouth down his cock as far as it would go. He gagged slightly as a consequence to his inexperience and pulled back to wipe his wet mouth while he tried to catch his breath again. His hand began to stroke him as he slid his mouth back down onto his cock and sucked him again.

It was hard for Erik to restrain himself, but he had already hurt Charles once and he vowed not to ever do it again. His hands clenched at the ground as he felt his orgasm sneaking up on him faster than ever. "Charles, I'm going to..." he tried to warn him before he arched his back and came all over the younger mutant’s pretty face.

Charles managed to pull back and close his eyes just in time for the unexpected hot come to shower his entire face. He sat up, gasping, not knowing what to do with himself as he tried to get over the shock of it. He looked so innocent, his blue eyes open wide and his wet, bruised lips parted. Come dripped from his chin, stained his hair, and streaked his cheeks and lips.

Overcome, Erik yanked him to him and kissed him deeply, wanting to taste himself on the other man's skin. Charles was equally startled by the kiss, but melted into it as his tongue battled his as if he wanted to devour him. He pulled back and smiled shyly. He tried to ignore his own aching erection as he settled himself on Erik's hips. He was secretly immensely proud of himself for making him come so fast and so hard, even with so little experience, but he was sure it showed in his expression.

"And where did you learn to do that?" Erik growled teasingly as he finally got a chance to reach out and stroke Charles' erection. He was glad that his earlier mistake had not affected the telepath’s libido.

Charles gasped and bit back a cry, Erik's come still staining his face and hair. He moved his hips and tried to hide his pain when he felt the stinging in his backside. "You are just a good teacher."

"Not that good. You must be a natural," Erik teased as he stroked him slowly. "Go easy now, do not hurt yourself."

Charles didn't think he could worry about his pain at a moment like this. It was like he was starved for it. He was sexually frustrated after what felt like a lifetime without it. It had been building up inside of them for so long, and neither of them knew until it burst out of them. "You're just saying that," he panted heavily. "I was sloppy and- ah!" he cried out, biting his lip to keep from doing it again. He tried to hold himself back from bucking his hips like a crazed teenager.

"You were perfect, you are perfect," Erik told him before he stopped stroking him and flipped them over until Charles lay underneath him. He placed both his hands on his hips to hold him still as he took his cock into his mouth.

Charles was going to moan in protest when he felt Erik's hands leave him, but before he could, he felt his mouth back on his hardness and he whimpered pathetically instead. "Oh god, Erik, I'm gonna... gonna..." he tried to hold himself back, but he was too close, and there was no stopping it as he came in his mouth. He opened his mouth to scream silently as he nearly blacked out from the burst of pleasure and the quick release of pressure.

Erik moaned around Charles and slowly licked him clean. He kissed his way up his lover’s spent body. Charles was lithe and limbless now, feeling his chest cling to his with sweat and feeling completely unable to move with shaking legs and a dizzy mind that held nothing back. He finally regained the ability to breathe steadily and clung the pirate tighter, trying to come to terms with what just happened.

After a few moments of quiet, Erik finally asked, "Are you alright?"

Charles laughed softly at the question, feeling contentment spread warmly through his body. "You know, for having been kidnapped from my own home by pirates who also burnt and pillaged my hometown, and then being drugged and dumped on a deserted island to face immanent death... I am rather alright," he told him honestly, smiling in the dark.

"Good," Erik smiled, kissing his forehead. "Now get some sleep."

Charles briefly wondered if they should take turns keeping guard during the night. Who knew what was out there, who knew what was hungry enough to get their first taste of mutant flesh? But he was too tired to care, and he knew this was the safest place on the island to be. Their fire would keep them safe during the night. Erik’s arms would keep him safe. He closed his eyes, hypnotized by the slow rise and fall of Erik's chest and the steady drumbeat of his heart as he slowly drifted off.


	5. Chapter 5

Erik did not truly fall asleep until the early hours of that morning. He was too worried that something would attempt to sneak up on them from the all consuming darkness outside the cave. He could see nothing, but he could hear everything. The loud chorus of insects, the rustling of bushes, and the urgent flapping of wings coming from deep in the jungle kept him alert. And there was not a single shard of metal around. Somehow, knowing that made him feel strangely vulnerable. Almost weak. Finally, he did nod off, but what he worried about the most was what he woke up to. An empty spot beside him.

"Charles! Charles!" he shouted as loud as he could as he quickly slipped his crumbled trousers on and ran out of the cave. The bright morning light stung his eyes and blinded him. The heat burned his skin.

Charles groaned in frustration when Erik's booming voice echoed through the jungle and scared away the tropical bird he was currently sketching to the last detail. He had woken up as soon as the sun set, determined to explore as much of this island as he could before Erik woke. However, time got away with him, and it was almost noon when he heard the pirate's panicked voice and mind. He grumbled and stood from where he lay on his stomach examining the bird that had been only five feet away. He walked to the beach, dressed in his torn clothes and hair tousled. There was a smudge of dirt on his cheek.

"Erik, you frightened away my bird!" he accused a little angrily. "You know how long it took me to get that close to one? Most of the animals and insects here show no instinctual aversions to humans, or mutants, for that matter... but these birds simply are not like the others. I think they are migratory, isn't that amazing?" he asked, completely out of breath from his excitement as he limped over to the pirate as fast as his sore body would allow and showed him his notebook. "There are also these strange beetles that emit the most horrid smell when provoked, and these giant tortoises! You must see them, Erik! These are huge advancements in natural history! I am going to build cages, and, and..." he stopped to breathe.

Erik grabbed Charles as soon as he was close and pulled him into a tight embrace before pushing him away at arms length to look at him. "Charles, you can't just run off like that."

Charles glared as Erik finally released him. "I can do what I like, Erik, I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself. Besides, I'm pretty sure there are no predators on this island," he insisted, not used to anyone being so overprotective of him. "Have you listened to a word I've said? This island is fascinating."

Erik let out a sigh of frustration and tried to concentrate on the fact that at least Charles was excited about something. "I was just worried,” he admitted sourly. “I woke up and you were gone. And you are hurt. You shouldn't be wandering around."

At first, Charles could only stare in confusion before he realized what kind of hurt he was referring to. Yes, he was sore, but it certainly was not handicapping him. At least, he refused to let it. He supposed they were both stubborn in their own ways. "I'm hurt? Erik, I am not hurt, you are the one walking around rubbing salt into your wound and letting it fester," he chastised him, stepping closer and inspecting the angry looking wound. "Let me wash and re-bandage it, darling," he asked him, looking up into his eyes and knowing that he could probably get what he wanted with that one look and one term of endearment.

Erik calmed down immediately. "It's fine. It doesn't hurt… Tell me about the animals you found."

Charles was momentarily distracted by Erik's interest in his discoveries and beamed up at him with a wide grin. "Oh! I must show you later! Will you walk with me? I haven't even begun to skim the surface of what else is here… all the fascinating insects, and the tortoises! You would not believe them!" he hurried with excitement. "But we must tend to this first." He focused his attention back on Erik’s arm and slipped his hand into his warmly to lead him towards the ocean.

"Are we going for a swim then?" Erik teased as Charles led him to the warm water. He stopped when it was lapping delicately at their bare feet.

Charles tried to hide his smile as he focused solely on mending Erik's arm. After removing the bloody makeshift bandage, he gently washed it with the salt water and tried not to stare at his new lover's sculpted muscles in the process. He wiped away sand, dried blood, and dirt carefully from the injury. "Our clothes would get soaked, and they are the only clothes I have," he teased back softly.

"We could take off our clothes," Erik suggested with a raised eyebrow. Before giving Charles a chance to respond, his hands reached out to undo his shirt.

At first, Charles wanted to draw back, even with last night so fresh in his mind. But they were completely alone. He didn't have to worry about what the rest of the world would think if they did both strip naked and swim in the ocean. There was a good chance they would die here, after all, and he knew there was nothing to lose. In short, he knew he shouldn't hold himself back from what he really wanted, despite the consequences, because his life could end at any moment.

"Soon you will have me parading around in nothing all the time, I think," Charles teased lightly, their bodies close. He shooed Erik's hands away as he slipped out of his shirt, his trousers that were already wet at the bottom, and his underwear himself. But before Erik could get a proper look at him, he ran into the water. Erik growled as his prey slipped through his fingers. He quickly stripped himself of his own clothes before he chased after his very naked and very wet lover.

Charles came up from the ocean’s depths, his hair clinging to him and the water concealing his nudity. "Perhaps we can fish. We will run out of food from the bag soon... and I'd prefer not to starve to death," he told him, though he was very aware of the fact that Erik could only focus on his nudity. He gave him a sly smile and swam over to wear he could stand and still have water covering the lower half of his body. Through the semi-clear water, Erik still had to use some of his imagination. The waves were small here, but still swayed his body.

Erik wrapped his arms around Charles and pulled him close. "I will not let you starve. I can hunt, you know."

Charles smiled and allowed Erik to pull him closer. He wondered where Erik had learned to hunt. What he had learned to hunt. "You never cease to amaze me," he told him as he wrapped his arms around his neck. He felt their naked, wet chests touch and his own body began to respond as he leaned forward and kissed him deeply.

Erik moaned into the kiss and his fingers slid carefully into the crevasse of Charles' ass. "How does this feel?" he asked.

"It feels sore, no thanks to you," he joked. "I am fine," he assured with a hand snaking down his lover's firm chest.

Erik sighed. If Charles was teasing, he must be feeling better. "I was stupid of me. I should have been gentler," he told him, his voice laced with guilt. At the time, he had been terrified that he had hurt one of the only things he truly cared for in the world. Everything that he loved had been taken from him by Shaw.

Charles rested his forehead against his, touching his mind with the lightest of caresses. He felt his strong hesitation, fears, and desires wrapped together in a conflicting bundle. "You can make it up to me," he promised out loud.

Erik let him in to his mind easily. He still did not understand why Charles found it so fascinating. "Whatever you want me to do… you know I'll do it."

Charles kissed him, allowing his mind to say what his lips couldn't. //What if I want it right now?//

Erik closed his eyes and breathed deeply, trying to control the urge to do just that. "It's too soon and we need something to ease the way." It was an awful excuse and they both knew it.

Charles tried to remember his dignity and keep from begging, but Erik did things to him that no one else ever had and perhaps ever will. "I don't think so, darling. I told you that I am fine. And I found some aloe earlier that should make things easier.”

"Hmm… so you were doing more than bird watching?" Erik teased.

The telepath rolled his eyes playfully. "I was also studying the native plants. They are also very interesting… and much easier to draw and collect," he insisted, trying to hide his smile. "Are you still going to deny me?" he asked sweetly, grazing his lips against his. In the past, he would sneak his way into women’s minds and drive them so mad with lust that they did not even notice. He would use his intelligence to impress women that were too dumb to think for themselves. But with Erik, it was different. There was nothing but genuine, raw honesty. It was new to both of them.

"I would deny you nothing, but I think we should wait until you heal before we try again," Erik told him again.

Charles smiled. The water was warm and clear, and although he had been around beaches his whole life, it felt different. He wiggled his toes in the loose sand underneath them. "Who would have known the great pirate Magneto is a big softie?" he teased, but he did not press the matter further.

He knew he would persuade him later.

***

Later that night, Erik was cooking a fish over his newly built fire. He had caught the fish earlier that day after their little swimming session, using the knife that was meant to kill him.

"I still think you should have let me illustrate that fish before you decided to butcher it... we could dine down tonight on a new species," Charles sighed, but he still munched loudly on his bread from the bag. It was becoming stale, but he tricked his mind into thinking it was fresh out of the oven.

"Do you ever stop talking?" Erik teased, handing Charles a portion of the fish that was larger than his own.

"Well, my mind never stops... and sometimes my mouth rolls with it," Charles admitted a little defensively as he stared down at his fish. He tried not to show his disgust. He poked it gingerly, though his stomach was hollow enough for him to eventually take a tentative nibble. He made a face at the saltiness of it. "Are you planning on fattening me up? You should eat the larger. You need it more than I do."

"You are used to eating more. Eat while we have it," Erik demanded.

Charles sighed, knowing it wasn't worth trying to argue with the pirate. He knew by now that it was useless. Despite his busy mind, Erik was a man of few words and far too stubborn for his own good. So Charles slowly chewed his meal in silence, watching the golden embers of the fire and appreciating the warmth and security of it for the first time in his life.

After he managed to stomach most of his meal, he laid down on the soft bed they had made out of leaves and the blanket and watched Erik finish his own dinner. He watched the fire dance on his shirtless chest, wondering how long it would take until he gave in and dived into his mind again. The temptation to do it now was too much. Feeling Charles toy with the brim of his thoughts, Erik finished his meal and crawled up beside him to wrap his arm around his slim waist to keep him warm. "Get some sleep. I'll keep watch."

Charles did not feel very much like sleeping. "I'm not tired," he admitted as he shifted closer to Erik until they were chest to chest. His hand slowly slid up his taunt muscles and his lips timidly found his neck.

"Hmm... I can see that," Erik teased, his voice a low growl as he slid his own fingers up the back of Charles' shirt. Charles shivered as he pressed his hardness against Erik's hips just in case the pirate had any doubt what he wanted. He brushed his lips against his briefly before he demanded a deep kiss, his hands bravely sliding down to his groin. He hoped he wouldn't have to beg.

At first, Erik remained a stoic statue before something in him finally snapped. Kissing him violently, he practically tore off the other mutant’s clothes and pushed him onto his back. Charles was surprised when he was so suddenly fully exposed, not worried that Erik had practically torn his only clothes to pieces. He imagined himself tomorrow, fashioning a tiny loin cloth out of what remained, and sent that image to his lover's mind. //But gentler, at first// he reminded intimately with his mind.

His lover’s accented voice in his head made Erik calm. He kissed Charles's neck and breathed in his scent deeply. How did he still smell like Earl Grey tea and dusty old books after so long? "Where is that aloe you found?" he asked when he felt he had some resemblance of control over himself.

Charles didn't want to stop to look for some stupid plant, but his hand outstretched and reached for the jar of juice that he had produced earlier. "Right here," he whispered as he quickly shoved it into Erik's hand.

"Impatient," Erik teased, though he was just as quick to slick up his fingers and gently probe Charles' entrance. "You will tell me if it hurts," he demanded in a firm tone.

"Of course I will. I will probably slap you this time- oh," Charles was cut off when he felt those fingers enter him, and instinctively, he spread his legs wide around the larger man to open himself up. He panted softly against his lips as he relaxed and concentrated on the feeling of Erik being inside of him and preparing himself for so much more.

Erik chuckled as his fingers teased his lover open. He found that little spot inside of him that he knew would make him see stars and he thrilled knowing that he was the only one to ever touch him there. Charles' entire body jolted and he involuntarily projected the explosion of pleasure that coursed through him. He didn't understand why it made him feel so good, but he never wanted it to stop. He was still sore, but the pleasure combined with the slight pain and strange pressure sent him reeling. With each thrust of Erik's fingers, his body bounced slightly and he reached behind himself for something to grip in his fists. He bit down hard on Erik's fleshy throat, projecting in his mind his true impatience to be fucked when words failed him.

Erik moaned appreciatively when his feisty lover’s blunt little teeth bit him. "You want me inside you… filling you up, making you mine?" he whispered, though he already knew the answer. "I want to hear you say it… out loud."

Charles blushed deeply at the request which was much more like a demand. He bit his own lip hard as he braced himself for each continued thrust of his fingers. "I want you inside me, taking me, owning me, claiming me… I am yours to take," he panted, conscious of the delicately vibrating metal around his neck that already proved his point. "I want you fucking me hard, so hard that I forget everything else but you," the usually posh gentleman whispered crudely against Erik’s parted lips.

After hearing those sweet, pleading words flow from his mouth, the pirate couldn't hold back any longer and pushed just the tip of his erection into Charles, intent on not hurting him this time. Charles closed his eyes, bit his reddened lip, and grunted when he felt Erik just breech him. It hurt, but not as intensely as the last time when his lover lost control and forgot himself. This was different. It ached and hurt in a way that made him want more. When he opened his wet eyes, he met Erik's and gave him a grin. //More, Erik// he asked with his mind.

"Easy," Erik reminded, more to himself than Charles. "We have to go easy."

Charles winced when Erik moved forward and sparked a bit of pain. Desperate to hold onto something, his grip tightened on Erik’s arm while the other gripped the blanket underneath him. To distract both himself and his lover, he lifted his head just enough to land his lips on his in a deep kiss. This gentleness the pirate was showing now almost alarmed him. He supposed he always sensed it was inside of him.

Erik kissed him back. He pulled out to inch back into his lover slowly until each careful thrust sank him deeper into his body. Charles winced again and hoped that Erik was too distracted by the burning kiss to notice, but the sharp pain only lasted a moment before he begun to feel the throbbing pleasure of being so stretched and full of his lover. He bit back a moan that seemed to escape him anyway as he fisted the dirt. Desperate for the pain to be over and for him to feel more of the pleasure he knew would come, he tried to urge himself farther onto his lover's cock. He held back nothing as he opened his mind and allowed Erik to hear and feel every emotion that was tearing through him.

Erik's buried his face in Charles' neck as he was hit with the sensation of being connected to another mind. He didn't know how telepaths dealt with this day in and day out. It was overwhelming. "You're making it hard for me to concentrate," he teased as he kissed the other mutant’s neck. His thrusts stopped when he was finally buried inside of him, wanting to give him time to stretch and himself time to adjust to the overwhelming tight heat around his erection.

Charles cried out softly, forcing his body to accept it. "I don't want you to concentrate," he whispered directly into his ear through harsh, irregular breathing.

That was when Erik lost all reserve. With a low growl, he pulled out of Charles and thrust back into him without any restraint, setting an unrelenting pace. Charles fought hard not to tense up when he realized he had finally pushed him to his breaking point. It hurt, but with the pain came an even brighter pleasure every time the head of his cock collided harshly against that sensitive bundle of nerves inside of him. He panted heavily right into his lover's ear. His own cock was hard and leaking at the tip, trapped deliciously between both their bodies. God, would he come just from this? Was that even possible?

Erik reached in between them to stroke Charles' cock. "You’re so beautiful like this… needy and flushed and all mine," he growled against his ear.

Charles whimpered when he felt Erik's hand touch him and send him embarrassingly close to the edge. But he never wanted this to stop. "Yours," he told him, feeling the necklace around his neck vibrate furiously. God, Erik was delusional to his own beauty. His hair was tousled and wild, his chest gleaming with sweat as the flickering flames from the fire danced across his flesh. He was huge inside of him, filling him to the point of breaking him, and he gasped every time his cock struck that part of him.

Charles’ own orgasm approached him far faster than he would have liked, and he didn’t even have the chance to panic. It was like he had absolutely no control over his body as Erik pushed him over the edge, his body tightening up as he felt himself closer and closer. He had to remember to breathe. "God, Erik..." he tried to warn him as he clung to him tighter, arched his back, and practically screamed as he exploded into his lover’s hand and both their chests.

Charles’ blush was red hot underneath him as he fought for breath. "Keep going..." he pleaded softly.

Erik had stopped thrusting to watch the telepath through his orgasm carefully. "I will, I just want to give you a moment to catch your breath," he teased, laying little kisses over his heated face.

Charles didn't want a moment. He wanted more. Deciding that he needed to be a little bit more in charge, he used the element of surprise and all of his strength to throw Erik onto his back and straddle his hips without his cock even moving out of him. He whimpered softly when he sat down onto him, deeper than before, deeper than he thought possible. He opened his wet eyes halfway to gaze down at his new lover. "You feel so good inside me," he exhaled.

Erik's hands gripped Charles' hips hard enough to bruise. "I don’t want you to get hurt. Go slow," he demanded.

Charles felt himself harden again, though his body was overly sensitive. He placed his hands palm down on Erik's broad shoulders and teasingly rolled his hips in slow circles on his cock. "Why do you treat me like I am breakable?" he asked in a soft, out of breath whisper. "You could never hurt me. I know your mind," he told him.

Erik knew that he broke everything he touched, but it was hard to hold himself back from the seductive sight Charles made as he rode his cock. Erik growled and pulled him off of him before he manhandled him face down on the ground with his ass presented to him in the air. Charles spread his legs wantonly. There was something about bending over for him, something he never thought he would ever do, and surrendering completely that turned him on more than he ever thought possible. He rested his forehead on his forearm and pressed his ass hard against Erik's cock. "Please," he pleaded out loud shamelessly.

Erik bit down on Charles' shoulder before thrusting into him. "Don't you dare come until I tell you to," he demanded in his ear as he thrust into his welcoming body from behind.

Charles surrendered underneath Erik's domination, feeling himself claimed completely. With every quick, deep thrust, he cried out sweetly, knowing that there was no one for hundreds of miles that would hear him. He bit down on his own arm to perhaps hold himself back from coming so quickly again like a sex-crazed teenager. He could come like this, without even a hand on his cock… but not before his lover gave him permission.

Erik thrust a few more times into his lover’s tightness before he was coming hard inside of him, claiming him as his own as he filled him. He reached underneath the telepath to stroke his cock. "Come for me," he ordered.

Charles was pushed to the edge a second time when he felt Erik release inside of him, coating his sore muscles. He felt some of it spilling out of him and running down his leg, and that along with Erik's demand that he come made him lose control. "Ah!" he screamed as he clenched down hard and collapsed under the pure, white pleasure.

Erik pulled out of Charles slowly and turned his blissed-out lover onto his back so he could gaze down at him. "You alright?" he asked, a little worried.

Charles couldn't help but feel a little disappointed when Erik pulled out of him so quickly. He would have been content to lay collapsed on his belly, his lover’s cock softening inside his sore ass. He was still panting heavily and slightly delirious when his lover rolled him over. "I'm much better than alright," he whispered honestly, reaching his hand out to cup Erik's sharp cheekbones. But he began to worry somehow. He began to worry that maybe he wasn't good, given Erik's past experience where he had none. //Was it alright?// he asked with his mind when he could not bring himself to ask out loud.

Erik smiled down at Charles and kissed him gently. "It was perfect," he told him. "You are perfect."

Charles smiled bashfully "I've never... I've never felt that way before," he whispered, brushing his bruised, red lips against his.

Erik pushed Charles' sweaty hair out of his eyes. He couldn't seem to stop touching him. "Good," he said possessively.

Charles smiled and leaned up to kiss him again passionately. After it ended, he laid there on his back, just trying to catch his breath and concentrate on the sound of his lover's heartbeat slowing down to normal. "If... if we get rescued... will you still want this?" he whispered a few quiet minutes later, so softly he wondered if his lover had heard it.

"I have wanted this since I first saw you. Of course I'll still want this. You are the one I'm worried about," the pirate admitted.

Charles smiled in amusement and nestled closer, nuzzling his face with his own. "You think I will run away from you?" he mused, though he didn't really understand why Erik had such a strong hold on him. "I... I wish for you to come to land with me. If we ever get off this island."

Erik was silent for a moment before he finally spoke. "I’d rather you just stay with me."

Charles knotted his eyebrows with worry and gripped his hands on Erik’s arms tighter. "I can't. I can't do what you do... I'm not a pirate. You told me I could teach the children... well, I want to teach them. On land. In my own school. And I want you beside me," he whispered as if they were sharing secrets. He didn't know why they were even speaking of the future at all. They could never get off this island.

Erik sighed and pulled Charles to him so the other man's head was resting on his chest. "Let's cross that bridge when we get there."

Charles knew to just leave it at that. He had to take it one day at a time, especially because any day could be their last here. "You don't think we will ever get off this island?" he asked timidly, listening to his heart beat which was still fast from their love making.

"I know we will get off of it, but what happens after that, I do not know."

Charles didn't know what he meant by that, but he decided he would rather not know. He shifted until he was completely on top of him and kissed his bare chest sleepily. "You've turned me into your pet after all. I cannot stop touching you."

"I never wanted you as my pet," Erik told him honestly, his fingers brushing over the necklace Charles wore. "I know it doesn't seem that way… but it's true."

"I believe you," Charles told him effortlessly. "I supposed I believed you all along. I... I guess I never really realized how much I was missing until you... kidnapped me. I'm not saying I forgive you for it… but I know my mother and father have long since forgotten about me and I do not wish to go back," he admitted softly. He could say so much more, but he didn't.

"I will get you to forgive me one day. Once I have earned your trust," was all Erik said.

Charles closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. Erik smelled of the salty ocean, musky firewood, and the sweet tang of sweat from their lovemaking. "You have my trust."

The necklace stirring around Charles's neck, as if it were finely linked to Erik's emotions, was his only reply.


	6. Chapter 6

Hours turned into days. Days turned into weeks. Eventually, Charles began to lose track of the time that passed even though he attempted to measure it in tallies on the cave's rough walls.

Sometimes, he would simply sit with Erik on the beach and overlook the vast ocean as he waited for signs of life. Yet day after day, the water remained undisturbed. Day after day, the world remained silent to Charles except for Erik’s ever present mind in his. Charles never pried deeply into Erik’s thoughts without permission. He only floated on the surface, something that he was unable and unwilling to control when Erik had his defenses down. He only delved deeper when Erik opened up his own flood gates and allowed him to dive inside.

Charles had never been able to be open with his telepathy before and being with Erik thrilled him. It was a connection he never thought he would ever have with another. Often, they would have entire conversations only with their thoughts. It was as though he could finally be himself for the first time in his life. Erik knew him, truly knew him. And like the island, Erik’s own mind was uncharted territory ready to be discovered.

The outer layer of Erik’s mind was sometimes dark and dangerous and scared Charles a little. But if he just delved a little deeper, if he just lifted the carpet to explore what was swept underneath, his head would swoon from the beauty waiting there. It was like warm, flickering candlelight steaming from underneath a locked door, and only he possessed the key. He knew he would perhaps remain the only one to ever see this part of Erik. He wasn’t sure Erik was aware of it himself. Secretly, he wondered why he was so special. What made the pirate trust him, at least enough to let him into his mind? And why no one else?

Charles did know that while Erik no longer expertly shielded his thoughts, he still tried to shelter Charles from certain demons haunting the shadows of his mind that on some days seemed to consume him. But Charles did not want protection. He wanted to help bear Erik’s heavy burden. He wanted to share his dark, lonely Hell. He wanted to show him that he was not alone. He wanted so badly to erase the red hot memories of Shaw’s abuse and to take his pain away with a simple thought, but he knew he never would. They were a part of Erik now. They have made him the strong mutant that he was. And even with all Charles’ power, he knew he wouldn’t be able to erase all of them even if he wanted to.

Charles had known darkness too, after all. Though he had grown up far more privileged than Erik, with opportunities, friends, proper schooling, and birthrights, he still knew what abuse felt like. Yet Erik still continued to try to protect Charles from himself and even the world around him. Sometimes, Charles wanted to shake him just to prove to him that he wasn’t that innocent.

It killed Charles not to know if a rescue would ever happen. But Erik's faith was strong, and the telepath clung to that with dear life. Their only hope lay in Mystique’s hands, and Charles tried not to think of the children who were left without their captain to guide them for the first time in years. He tried not to think of them in the other telepath’s hands.

Over time, Charles lost weight and gained muscle while Erik seemed every bit the same stone God he had always been, only two shades darker. Eventually, the clothes on Charles’ back were no longer suitable to be called such. They became thin and torn during his afternoon adventures observing the animals on the island. While Erik continued to wear his own torn clothes, Charles fashioned a loin cloth out of material to conceal only his most private areas. He felt silly as he did it, and slightly embarrassed, but the opportunity to drive Erik crazy won out in the end.

They made love every night like lust crazed teenagers. Most of the time, it happened as they lay beside the fire and the sun dipped below the horizon. Sometimes Erik was rough and fast and unforgiving, fucking him until they both almost blacked out from the blinding pleasure and Charles thought he would never walk proper again. Sometimes he was gentle and slow as if Charles were made of glass. They made love during the day, too, whether it was under the dense canopy of the jungle or on the hot sand of the beach. There was also one afternoon that things got heated behind a hissing waterfall.

They were lost from the world, lost in time, and lost in each other.

Charles still explored the island, and when he ran out of paper, he began to study the wildlife enough with his eyes to commit it to memory. It gave him hope that one day he could show the world what he had found. But as time passed, he realized that part of him never wanted this island to be colonized. He didn’t want humans with their weapons and fire and pride come and take what didn’t belong to them. He wanted it to stay the way it was.

Untouched and beautiful. Peaceful.

***

One evening, Charles sat beside Erik in front of a fire, munching on fish and listening to the waves softly crashing against the shore. The sun was slowly sinking into the ocean and the telepath had to squint his eyes to look out upon its brilliantly orange reflection on the water. Erik was silent and Charles was afraid to pry.

"I found another new species of bird today," Charles announced to his lover proudly between bites of food. He was getting rather tired of the same meal every night, though he never complained. Instead, he just closed his eyes and imagined that the boney fish was a delicious steak dinner and that the bland river water was nice, cold ale. The mind was a powerful thing.

Erik's lips quirked into a slight smile. His lover always found strange ways to entertain himself. "I had wondered where you disappeared to."

Charles smiled and leaned over to kiss Erik's cheek boldly. "Did you worry?" he teased lightly, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand and leaning back on his elbows. He could not believe how poor his manners had become. If his father could see him now…

Erik eyes flickered over Charles' form. Though it delighted him, the loin cloth also drove him to distraction. Erik put down his own meal and crawled over his lover’s sprawled body. His movements reminded Charles of a big cat. "I always worry when I can’t see you."

Charles snickered. For a man who had kidnapped him out of his own home and burnt down his village, he sure was overprotective of him now. He decided not to bring it up. "You worry too much. It is time for you to relax," he whispered as he kissed him, chastely this time, with only the most shallow brush of his parted lips against his.

Erik nuzzled him. It was clear from the way his thoughts clustered together incoherently that he was impatient for something. "I think you are right," he growled, kissing his way down Charles' neck and sucking a fading bruise.

Charles grinned and arched against him. Off the island, he knew he would never allow Erik to mark him as he was doing now. He couldn’t bear all the knowing stares and snickers he knew he would get as he walked around as spotted as a leopard. But here, nothing mattered. He wore the bruises happily. "I wonder what would relax you the most," he teased further, his hand sliding down Erik’s chest to palm his heated erection through his thin trousers.

"Being inside you always relaxes me," Erik sighed as he ground his erection against Charles' palm. He wasn’t wasting time tonight.

Charles thrilled at the feeling of Erik hot and needy. He gave him a soft squeeze and watched as his mouth fell open to pant softly. He realized that he could watch him like this for hours. He could slowly seduce and tease until both of them desperately had to do something more. But Charles wanted something different tonight, and he was determined to get it. "You are good to me. But let me be good to you, let me-“

"Stop talking," Erik demanded, cutting him off as he pulled the telepath into a rough kiss that silenced him.

Charles moaned in surprise but his tongue did not hesitate to battle his. His own erection was embarrassingly obvious, considering the flimsy piece of cloth that was no longer able to cover him. Finally, his trembling hands untied Erik’s trousers and pulled out his ready cock, giving it a few hard but awkwardly dry strokes.

Erik pulling away from the kiss. "You want me inside you?” he whispered into his ear through his harsh breathing.

Charles spread his legs around Erik’s hips and thrust up against him. "God, yes..." he whispered back like the wanton slut that his lover made him feel like he sometimes was. Trying his best to drive Erik crazy, he brought two of his own fingers to his own lips and sucked them thoroughly. When they were wet enough, he lifted his hips and pressed them to his sore entrance to finger himself a little awkwardly.

Erik seemed captivated for a moment, lost in a lustful abyss, before he suddenly pulled both Charles' hands up above his head. "You’re not allowed to do that," he told him possessively as his own fingers replaced his.

Charles surrendered instantly and gasped when he felt Erik's larger fingers force themselves past his tight ring of muscles as if to claim him. "You better be careful... I could come just from your fingers stretching me," he whispered against his parted mouth.

A throaty growl was Erik’s only response to that before he retracted his fingers and kissed his lover hard. Before the telepath could even complain, Erik thrust deep inside of him, taking him raw. Charles gasped sharply against the line of Erik’s jaw when he felt the tip of his cock nudge those magically sensitive bundles of nerves that he still didn’t fully understand. With it, he felt pain, but he loved that Erik was taking him without being too careful. These were the nights that neither of them held back.

Charles bit Erik’s lip hard as his hands held onto him hard enough to leave bruises. "Fuck," he cursed and blushed at his own profanity.

With their minds as finely webbed together as their bodies, it was hard for either of them to tell whose pleasure belonged to whom. "That is the idea," Erik chuckled, kissing him gently despite how rough his thrusts were becoming.

Charles cried out when Erik began pounding into him. The exquisite pain along with the blinding pleasure sent him quickly into a haze of lust and delirium. //You like me like this? Laying down and taking it? Surrendering to you?// he asked with his mind when words failed him and all that came from his mouth were soft cries of pleasure.

That was all the warning Charles gave before he used the element of surprise and all his strength to stop Erik and wrestle him onto his back underneath him. He straddled him immediately, his lover’s thick cock having slipped out of him. He was in a teasing, playful mood... and he wasn't going to let Erik get what he wanted right away. "I thought this was about you relaxing tonight, darling," he teased softly.

Erik groaned in frustration when he was suddenly torn from the tight heat of Charles' body. "I never relax," he muttered stubbornly as his hands gripped Charles' hips.

Charles growled back animalistically and boldly grabbed his lover's wrists to pin them above his head. This was new to him, this confidence. Still pinning him down, he shifted to impale himself back onto Erik's cock with a whimper. Once fully seated, he began to rock his hips slowly.

Erik chuckled at Charles’ unintimidating but irresistible little growl and his clumsy attempt at overpowering him. But any laughter was cut off when his lover began to move his hips. "Fuck, you’re so tight…" he exhaled.

Charles continued to roll his hips slowly on his cock, adjusting his unprepared body to his huge size. "It's just for you," he whispered truthfully. Even if the unthinkable happened and they left one another one day in the future if they were rescued, no one would ever have him the same way he was having him now. This, he would always save for Erik. Once he felt himself stretch slowly around his thickness, Charles bit his lip, arched his back, and began to lift himself up to slam back down on his cock.

"It better be," Erik panted as his hands squeezed Charles' hips hard and met his thrusts with his own. "You are mine," he added possessively as he sat up to be closer to him. Of all the lovers that Erik had in the past, Charles was by far the most responsive. As innocent as he looked in all his prim and proper mannerisms and silly ideals, it was like he was a slave to his emotions while making love. Erik loved watching the way he ruined him.

"That means... mmmm," he moaned as he gripped the other man’s shoulders to brace himself. //That must mean that you are mine in return// he reminded him with his mind when words failed him yet again.

Erik, not willing to admit it with words, kissed him hard while his hand slipped between their sweat slick bodies to stroke Charles' cock. "Come for me, liebling," he coaxed his lover.

Charles hated how whenever he thought he had finally taken control, Erik immediately takes it right back from him. He wasn't ever really in control. It both infuriated him and excited him. He whimpered when he felt his lover's hand on him, but he slowed his movements and held back from doing just that. "It's... it's too soon," he pleaded desperately, trying to brush his hand away.

Erik did not like being told no for any reason. He growled threateningly right before he flipped Charles onto his back, lifted one of his legs over his shoulder, and pushed back inside him harder than he ever had before.

"Ah!" Charles cried out as he arched his back and felt his cock torment that sensitive part deep inside of him that set his body on edge. He knew that there was one way he could still have control. With his brows furrowing in concentration, he projected every inch of his pleasure towards his lover until it clouded his mind like smoke.

"Damn it!" Erik cursed angrily before his sharp thrusts ceased and he came hard inside of Charles from the images and sensations he was stampeded with. Before Charles could follow him, he pulled out quickly and pinned his hands over his head so he couldn't touch himself. "I should just leave you like this for that little trick," he taunted, knowing how close his lover was and still feeling the tidal waves of his own orgasm beating down on him.

Charles barely had a chance to savor the feeling of Eric coming undone inside of him before he felt him pull out to leave him screaming for more. He felt Erik leaking out of him and trailing down his thighs and he wanted to shout with frustration. "Please, Captain..." He used that title as seductively as he could. "I need to come…”

"I know you do. You should have came when I told you to," Erik spoke calmly as he kissed down Charles' neck.

Charles whimpered and squirmed underneath him to fight free, though he secretly did not really desire that freedom. "I'm sorry, Captain..." he whispered. //Please... please, make me come//

Erik smirked and kissed down Charles' lean chest until his lips reached his cock. How could he possibly continue to torture him after he begged so sweetly? Taking Charles's cock into his mouth, he skillfully swallowed him down.

Charles cried out, and now that his hands were released, they clawed at the dirt under his back. He tried to hold back from thrusting up into his mouth as he felt himself tripping over the edge. "Erik..." he tried to warn him before he gasped and opened his mouth to silently scream as he came. Erik swallowed down every last drop before his lips slowly made the journey back up to his lover's.

Without even opening his eyes, Charles eagerly kissed Erik and tasted his own bitter flavor in his mouth. His legs were still boneless and shaking, but he wrapped his arms tightly around his neck to hold him close. He felt pleasant drowsiness overtake him. "I really, really like you," Charles whispered against his lips once he broke the kiss. He regretted speaking those words out loud almost immediately after saying them because it was undeniable and obvious that what he felt for Erik went so far beyond just liking him.

Erik pulled back to look at Charles, surprised. "Really?" he challenged with a smile. "I thought you didn't like me?" he teased.

Charles wondered if he should have said it. He wondered if it would change things. Should he have kept it to himself? Should he have swept it under the carpet of his own thoughts, only to escape out and into his lover's mind anyway? That was the English way. "I don't like you, you possessive, murderous thief," he argued defensively as he gave him an accusing look. "But it doesn't mean that I can't really like you at the same time."

Erik grinned down at Charles and pushed his sweaty, brown hair off his forehead. "Good, because I am a bastard, but you have to know I feel the same."

Charles did not expect that. He bit his lip and pretended not to be surprised. "I bet you say that to all the men you fuck while stranded on islands," he rolled his strikingly blue eyes.

Erik kissed him gently. "Only you. You are the only one I will ever want."

"I never thought you would ever be this sickeningly sentimental," Charles teased, brushing his lips against his and preparing him for what he was going to say next. "Tomorrow... I want to explore more of the island. But I think... I think you should stay near the beach. You know, in case we get rescued," he told him softly.

Erik frowned, not liking the sound of that at all. Thinking that he might need a little space, he let it go. "If you wish.” His voice was void of emotion.

Charles sensed this fear on the surface of his mind and crawled closer to his body to look sincerely down at him. "That is not it at all, darling. I'm just trying to think practically. Besides, I won't be gone for more than a few hours. I want to try to draw a map of the island..." Thinking that his lover needed more assurance, he leaned forward to whisper against his lips as seductively as he could, "And then I'll come back and make you fuck me again until I scream."

Erik grinned, the tension in his body automatically releasing. "I do love it when you scream my name," he growled as his hands gripped Charles' bare, sore ass.

Charles' laughter warmed Erik's neck. "Stop it, you brute, or you'll make me want it again," he warned, though he didn't think his body could physically take any more for the night. He was impossibly sore and spent, though when it came to Erik, he could never get enough.

Erik's hands moved up to Charles' lower back. "I wore you out," he pointed out smugly.

Charles smiled and closed his eyes. His legs still shook and his arms still felt completely limp. "Oh, and I suppose you're not worn out at all. I did do part of the work."

"Of course," Erik smiled sleepily as he ran his fingers up and down Charles' back. "Get some sleep. I don't want you tired while you do your exploring."

Charles rested his head on his chest and grumbled in frustration. He had taken care of himself his whole life. He didn't need Erik's over-protectiveness. "Stop babying me," he muttered a little angrily.

"I'm not babying you. I'm keeping you safe," Erik argued. "You are lucky I'm letting you go at all. We still don't know what sort of dangers the jungle possesses."

Let him go? This made Charles even angrier. He sat up to glare down at his lover, unable to stop from projecting his emotions. "You think I can't take care of myself? I do not need you, Erik. I am not a child," he insisted. "I do not need you to allow me to do anything."

Erik suddenly rolled them over to pin Charles back underneath him. "I could keep you here if I wanted," he warned in a stern voice, his mind pushing Charles' out and cutting him off from the other man's powers. Just like that.

To Charles, it hurt more to feel Erik's mind blank to him than anything he could have said with words. He tried to hide his own hurt emotions, but for him, it wasn’t as easy. "You couldn't. I am not yours to dictate, I am capable of doing whatever the hell I want," he snarled. "I am no longer your captive, you know. I am free to do what I want, when I want..."

"You are still mine, even more so now than when we were on the ship!" Erik shouted.

Charles took a deep breath to control himself. He knew that Erik must have a lot of insecurities to be acting this way. He believed that in order to keep someone, he had to own them. To control them. He had a lot to learn. So Charles said to him what he had never said to another before. "You have a lot of growing up to do, Erik." Using all of his strength, he kneed Erik in the stomach to let him release his grip. "You cannot own people. I am stronger than you can ever imagine. Don't fight with me.”

Erik growled, rubbing his stomach as he glared at Charles disdainfully. "I do not wish to fight with you," he admitted.

Charles fought back the urge to scream at his lover. He swallowed his anger and moved towards the other side of the cave. He grabbed the blanket for himself as he made his own bed large enough only for him. "Until you stop treating me like a child, you are not to lay another hand on me," he announced.

"You cannot be serious!" Erik yelled.

Charles covered himself back up with his loin cloth and blanket and tried to ignore the extreme soreness of his body and the feeling of his lover still inside of him. "As a heart attack," he snapped.

Erik rolled his eyes and forced his own anger down. "Fine. But when it gets cold tonight, don't come snuggling up to me."

Charles said nothing as he turned his back to him and closed his eyes, listening to the crackle of the fire and the slow drip of water deeper down the cave. After all, he no longer had his lover’s mind to listen to. He hadn't expected it to hurt so much when Erik raised his mental shields. He had worked so hard to lower them. He had worked so hard to gain that level of trust.

***

Hours passed and Charles couldn't sleep. He shivered, not used to the chilly night air without the warm, solid body of Erik beside him. He remembered what he had said, but he ignored it as he slowly inched over to the pirate and cuddled up to him. Maybe he wouldn’t notice.

Erik had his back to Charles, but he was wide awake when he felt his lover scoot over to him. "What did I tell you?" his voice boomed through the silent cave. "Go back to your own bed."

"We don't have beds, Erik, we live in a cave and we sleep on dirt," Charles told him tiredly. He hesitantly wrapped his arms around his lover's waist, knowing that sometimes Erik was like a wild animal in moods such as this. But he would take his chances. Anything was better than the silence in his head, after all. "And I don't want to fight. Our lives may be far too short for that. I'm sorry I was childish. Please, don't be angry with me. I miss you already," he admitted.

Anger was a feeling Erik did not let go of easily. He had learned early on in his life that sometimes it was all that could keep him alive. He had never really learned how to forgive well, even with petty arguments. So he pushed Charles' arms off him roughly.

"Alright," Charles whispered sadly, trying and failing to hide his own despair at the rejection. He recoiled his hands, but he did not move to his own nest across the cave. "Alright, I won't force it on you. I would never force anything on you. But I want you to know I'm not going anywhere," he whispered. He did not have to read his lover's mind to know why forgiving was such a problem. He has spent all his life resentful and vengeful to the point of sacrificing everything. "I mean... even if we could get off this bloody island."

"Don't lie to me," Erik muttered, still facing the cold wall. "You and I both know you will go back home as soon as we are rescued. There is nothing keeping you with me."

Charles was clearly surprised and lifted his head from where it lay. "Then why is it that I almost don't want to be rescued? I would rather live just one short year on this island, just you and I, then fifty out there in the world without you," he told him earnestly. Tears glossed over his blue eyes but did not spill over. "I know who you are, what you are. You're not a monster. You're beautiful and strong and... and... and I want you and always will. If anything, I should be the one terrified of you pushing me away."

Erik turned around to face his lover. "I'm not going to push you away," he told him simply, and after an uncertain look from Charles, he slowly wrapped his arm around his waist as if to prove the point.

Charles still wasn't convinced, but was relieved by the physical touch. Erik was not the only one insecure about their future together, granted there could be a future. "You might, one day. Out of fear of being too intimate with someone. Out in the world, things could change," he whispered as if saying it louder would make it true.

"I won't change my mind. I'm very stubborn, you know," Erik smiled.

"Alright," Charles whispered, knowing that much to be true. They were both incredibly stubborn, but he knew he had to be patient, if only because he knew Erik wouldn't. He settled back down against him, wrapped the blanket around both their bodies. "I am sorry that I picked a fight."

Erik huffed against Charles' neck. "No, you’re not. You can be such a brat sometimes."

Charles pouted at that. Erik must be disgusted with him sometimes. Despite having an extremely dysfunctional family and a brother who used to beat him to a bloody pulp, his childhood was perfect compared to Erik's. "I try not to be," he admitted sadly.

"Don't change. I like that you are a brat."

Charles lifted his head again and looked down at him with childlike curiosity. "Why?" he asked before he elaborated, "Why do you like me so much? Of all the mutants you have met, why do you trust me, and no one else?" he asked. After all, he thought Erik trusted him. If anything, they should be natural born enemies simply because he had the power to see into his mind. He had to the power to overpower him.

"I don’t know. I just do." Erik answered quickly, closing up again.

As much as he wanted to keep prying for answers, Charles knew that he would just have to deal with that answer for now. "Well, I can tell you why I like you," he said matter-of-factly. "Would you like to hear it?"

"I don't think I want to know," Erik sighed.

Charles smiled and leaned over Erik to kiss his chest. "You're amazingly handsome," he began. "With a beautiful body..." Another kiss. "And you have a beautiful mind and a beautiful soul. Despite what you think about it.”

Erik wrapped Charles in his arms even tighter. "Stop trying to seduce me again and go to sleep."

Charles frowned at that. "I'm not trying to seduce you. I'm being serious."

"I am, too. Go to sleep."

Charles sighed, but once he allowed himself to relax in Erik’s arms, sleep found him easily.


End file.
